Civil libertarians are warning that the introduction of a national identification card will make it easier for computer hackers to undertake identity theft.

Debate about a national identification card reignited last week in the wake of the London bombings and recent Immigration debacles.

Queensland Council of Civil Liberties president Michael Cope said the creation of a single identity database would be an easy target for hackers.

"It makes it easier by accumulating all the data in one place and if you're sufficiently technologically sophisticated you break in from a computer system and you can pinch anybody's ID," Cope told ABC Radio today.

"Whereas at the moment it's at least split up and to access the variant databases you have to break into a number of computer systems."

The onus is on the federal government to show the loss of civil liberties involved in the creation of such a card would prevent Immigration bungles or fight terrorism, he said.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie joined the debate last week after a damning report into the mistaken detention of Australian resident Cornelia Rau and wrongful deportation of Australian citizen Vivian Alvarez.