On one hand, I agree with all the concerns listed in the article. Of course it’s all in the implementation. Digital ID doesn’t necessarily have to be terribly implemented and a privacy nightmare, but I doubt any current government would implement it any other way.
That said, it makes me pretty grumpy that people are happy enough to have corporations like google, amazon, facebook, et al know everything about them, but somehow a government ID is a bridge too far.
it makes me pretty grumpy that people are happy enough to have corporations like google, amazon, facebook, et al know everything about them, but somehow a government ID is a bridge too far.
People can make the choice to engage with those companies, but the government want to force the matter. Plus of course I can always just stop interacting with the companies if I decide they have got gone too far. They won’t get any more data from me then. But I can’t opt out of governmental ID cards.
I don’t think it’s possible, in 2025, to opt out of engagement with these companies in any practical way.
The federal government already has an abundance of personal information about me. If they issue a digital ID I’m not providing them any additional information.
Whenever someone googles anything, they’re providing google with hew, intensely personal, information.
While you, personally, might take digital privacy seriously and leak less than a fishes asshole, we both know that the vast majority of people literally can’t take a shit without telling google how well their spouse’s new meds are working.
You can theoretically opt out of a great many things, but that doesn’t mean the behavior is practically possible.
Exactly, it’s hypocritical AF. The plus sides outlined actually sound fairly logical and the people who are up in arms about this are as bad as everytime the far right cries invisible boogie man. Many digital-only forms of ID already exist. Apple wallet, TIN/SSN, that Covid passport thing, Biometric residence permits.
The whole thing is just being framed as another attack piece on Starmer to make the far right’s influence grow. Every liberal who is up in arms over this is complicit too. Don’t believe me? Let’s check in on how the US is doing after they utilized the same political strategy…
They’re not remotely the same and thing claiming that they are is entirely disingenuous.
Many digital-only forms of ID already exist. Apple wallet, TIN/SSN, that Covid passport thing, Biometric residence permits.
All of those are not controlled by the government, cannot be used to track people, or are entirely made up. I don’t know what this covid passport thing is.
Also are you even British, you’re talking about SSN’s, we don’t have those.
I think it’s explained by the fact that governments assert a monopoly on violence, including imprisonment. The apparent risk is higher. You also can’t opt out, whereas you (theoretically, if not in practice) can with private services.
And more importantly, it’s highly visible, versus buried in a disclosure or hidden on a server. If the information those companies gather were in front of people’s faces, they’d be more up in arms about it.
Also the UK gov has has the cyber security track record of an open door with a neon sign saying ‘free sensitive material this way’ This is basically a giant government backed scheme for mass identity theft.
I don’t agree with the digital ID since it has implications to snowball further down road into a tool for a implemented authoritarian surveillance state.
But the fact everyone basically carries a smartphone with personal data that is linked to private corporations is kinda ironic.
Like the government can’t have a digital footprint of you but Google, Apple, Samsung etc can.
I’m sure these private companies are the bastions of privacy. They surely won’t sell your data or bend over to government subpoenas at the first real threat to their bottom line.
No discussion regarding this digital ID has rwally mentioned this and I find it incredibly concerning.
There should be base line regulation stopping this both at the private and governmental levels. But if the last 5ish years have shown in the world, most people are realistically comfrontable and complacent in all this. At least until the gestapo are at your door., but then it’s a week bit too late isn’t it.
On one hand, I agree with all the concerns listed in the article. Of course it’s all in the implementation. Digital ID doesn’t necessarily have to be terribly implemented and a privacy nightmare, but I doubt any current government would implement it any other way.
That said, it makes me pretty grumpy that people are happy enough to have corporations like google, amazon, facebook, et al know everything about them, but somehow a government ID is a bridge too far.
People can make the choice to engage with those companies, but the government want to force the matter. Plus of course I can always just stop interacting with the companies if I decide they have got gone too far. They won’t get any more data from me then. But I can’t opt out of governmental ID cards.
I don’t think it’s possible, in 2025, to opt out of engagement with these companies in any practical way.
The federal government already has an abundance of personal information about me. If they issue a digital ID I’m not providing them any additional information.
Whenever someone googles anything, they’re providing google with hew, intensely personal, information.
While you, personally, might take digital privacy seriously and leak less than a fishes asshole, we both know that the vast majority of people literally can’t take a shit without telling google how well their spouse’s new meds are working.
You can theoretically opt out of a great many things, but that doesn’t mean the behavior is practically possible.
Exactly, it’s hypocritical AF. The plus sides outlined actually sound fairly logical and the people who are up in arms about this are as bad as everytime the far right cries invisible boogie man. Many digital-only forms of ID already exist. Apple wallet, TIN/SSN, that Covid passport thing, Biometric residence permits.
The whole thing is just being framed as another attack piece on Starmer to make the far right’s influence grow. Every liberal who is up in arms over this is complicit too. Don’t believe me? Let’s check in on how the US is doing after they utilized the same political strategy…
They’re not remotely the same and thing claiming that they are is entirely disingenuous.
All of those are not controlled by the government, cannot be used to track people, or are entirely made up. I don’t know what this covid passport thing is.
Also are you even British, you’re talking about SSN’s, we don’t have those.
I think it’s explained by the fact that governments assert a monopoly on violence, including imprisonment. The apparent risk is higher. You also can’t opt out, whereas you (theoretically, if not in practice) can with private services.
And more importantly, it’s highly visible, versus buried in a disclosure or hidden on a server. If the information those companies gather were in front of people’s faces, they’d be more up in arms about it.
Also the UK gov has has the cyber security track record of an open door with a neon sign saying ‘free sensitive material this way’ This is basically a giant government backed scheme for mass identity theft.
As is the online safety act. But at least that can be circumvented pretty easily
It’s ok they’ll store every person as a column in an Excel 2003 spreadsheet so they’ll only have data for the first few thousand people
I don’t agree with the digital ID since it has implications to snowball further down road into a tool for a implemented authoritarian surveillance state.
But the fact everyone basically carries a smartphone with personal data that is linked to private corporations is kinda ironic.
Like the government can’t have a digital footprint of you but Google, Apple, Samsung etc can.
I’m sure these private companies are the bastions of privacy. They surely won’t sell your data or bend over to government subpoenas at the first real threat to their bottom line.
No discussion regarding this digital ID has rwally mentioned this and I find it incredibly concerning.
There should be base line regulation stopping this both at the private and governmental levels. But if the last 5ish years have shown in the world, most people are realistically comfrontable and complacent in all this. At least until the gestapo are at your door., but then it’s a week bit too late isn’t it.
I have a passport, driving licence in addition to other info necessary for applying for a job eg NI number.
Why do I need an ID? I bet there’d be some charge for it too. No. On principle no. He can get fucked.