Universal electronic card (UEC) is a plastic card that combines identification and banking functions and provides access to a wide range of public services. It is designed to improve the quality of public services and simplify bureaucratic procedures. But not all Russians were delighted with the next government plan. The number of those who would like to abandon the UEC remains high.
Why do Russians want to abandon the UEC?
According to opinion polls, about 35% are in the camp of the UEC opponents. Although they are in the minority, the percentage of those who are negatively disposed towards the UEC is very significant. What are the reasons for this attitude? Many are simply ill-informed about the card's capabilities. But knowledgeable Russians also have their own motives:
- doubts about the safety of the card, the possibility of financial fraud in case of its loss;
- distrust of the protection installed on the card, fears of gaining access to personal information on the card by third parties;
- fear of establishing total control over personal life by the state, because the card will contain a wide range of information about the citizen;
- religious motives; at one time, the INN caused the same alertness among Christians (although the Russian Orthodox Church itself stated that it does not see anything sinful in universal maps).
Realizing that the implementation of the UEC project may face opponents of issuing the card, the government realized the possibility of refusing to receive it.
The procedure for refusal from UEC
Theoretically, in order to refuse UEC, it was necessary to write an appropriate refusal statement before December 31, 2014. Many opponents did not know about such a possibility and did not have time to write a refusal. It turns out that in 2015 it is too late to refuse to receive the UEC.
But the law establishes that the card can be obtained only after a personal visit to the point of issue of the UEC, photographing the citizen. It cannot be sent by mail or transmitted through third parties. After all, in this case, the whole meaning of the project would be lost and there could be no talk of security and confidentiality of the UEC. It turns out that if you do not go to the point of receiving applications for the UEC, you will not automatically receive the card.
True, in some regions, the authorities go for tricks and create additional incentives for the registration of the UEC. For example, they make preferential fares on public transport for card users. It is likely that favorable prerequisites for obtaining UEC will remain in the future. But in any case, the choice is yours.
In general, it is possible that the project will not live to see its next logical stage - the transition to an electronic passport in 2017. Its implementation in practice ran into a lot of difficulties, in particular, with the unavailability of the infrastructure for the massive implementation of the UEC. In many regions, there have already been interruptions in its registration.
