Þjóðskrá

Samantekt á ensku vegna ráðstefnu um sögu tölvunnar á Norðurlöndum 2003.

The National Register was established by law in 1956 for persons and in 1969 for firms. The register evolved from the original punched card system to a computerised system in the 1960s and by 1985 it had become an on-line system reflecting the status of the population on a daily basis. The first application for the register was to preprint tax returns in the year 1954. The original usage of the register was for population tracking, for use as a voting register, for official administration, for medical research, and for population statistics (Þórhallsson and Zóphaníasson 1985 and Kjartansson 2002).  The Personal Identification Number used was composed of the birth date of the person concerned as nine digits DDMMYYNNH (day, month, year sequential number within the date, and year hundred i.e. 8 and 9.) With the advent of the computers a check digit was added making the PIN a ten-digit number. This number permeates all data processing in Iceland concerning persons and firms. It is used as identification in official administration, schools, hospitals, pharmacies, banks, on driver licenses, Visa cards etc.

ok 2003; jz 2003
Óttar Kjartansson og Jón Zoponiasson