Do you have the drama around the digital ID in the UK on your screen?
The UK is headed right now because Prime Minister Keir Starmer is opening a barrel that could affect all of us: By the end of the 2029 parliamentary term, a Mandatory Digital ID give, the so-called ‘BritCard‘, which every worker must demonstrate. Officially, to stop illegal migration, but the plans are much broader, and the resistance is gigantic!
The ‘BritCard’: Efficiency Turbo or Surveillance Nightmare?
The Labour government wants to put a clear stop to this: Anyone who is illegal in the country should no longer find a job. Sounds like a clear strategy on paper. The government emphasizes that the ID, which is stored digitally on the smartphone, Data protection compliant First and foremost, just to Verification of work permit serve. However, it is also intended to simplify access to government services, following the motto: One click instead of tens of forms! A pilot project for veterans is also underway.
But if you take a closer look, cook up the minds. The plans go far beyond the world of work:
- Extension to minors: The obligation should even be extended to under 13-year-olds who are not allowed to work at all. Critics see this as a preparation for a general internet ban or age verification, which could severely restrict free access to the network.
- The ‘Function Creep’: This is the frightening specter of all civil rights activists. Organisations such as Big Brother watch vehemently warn that a system put in place for a harmless purpose will inevitably escalate and eventually become a ‘Database State’ lead. Historically, such badges have been repeatedly misused for other ‘moral panics’, from bigamy to terrorism. They fear: The state could collect huge amounts of data and enter it by linking it to a unique identifier. Complete profile Create each person.
The uprising of the masses (and parliamentarians)
The response of the population is clear:
- About 2.9 million citizens have a petition signed, which calls for the immediate halt of the ID plans because it is a "dangerous step towards Mass surveillance and digital control“ see.
- Parts of the policy are also defending themselves: 37 Members of Parliament of the Parliament support the protest and fear a "dangerous and lasting change in the relationship between the government and the governed".
Even the founder of Telegram, Pawel Durow, speaks of a ‘dystopian shift’ and sees the introduction of ID as part of a global development that, together with EU chat control and age verification on the net, is becoming a reality. "ultimate control tool" could degenerate.
Germany and the global ID wave
What happens in the UK is not irrelevant to us. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and the Union have never concealed their conviction in Germany that digital identification mechanisms could also contribute to ‘genuine migration control’ here.
Merz has even brought incentives into play, such as a Ten percent discount for health insurance customers, which release their data digitally.
His argument: The German Data protection focus stand in the way of ‘profitable (!) data use’.
In fact, the digital ID is on the agenda of many nations: As part of the UN Future Pact, 2024 193 member states, including Germany and the UK, to Introduction of a digital identity known. Organisations such as the Tony Blair Institute (who, by the way, lobby strongly for ID) see this as the basis for the ‘modern state’. They point to examples such as Estonia, where the digitalisation of administration and digital ID make everyday life massively easier and keep administrative costs per capita low.
But here is the subtle difference that critics point out:
In Estonia, the system is based on: transparency. Every citizen can understand online at any time, Who, when and which of your data I have seen it, and I will take action against it in the event of abuse. So far, the British model seems to rely more on a centralised, mandatory ‘BritCard’, which (so the fear) does not offer this control. According to experts, the main difference to the planned EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) is that the EU solution is a user-controlled wallet, while the ‘BritCard’ is primarily a government-issued wallet. Mandatory Work Verification Document is.
Conclusion: Freedom vs. convenience
Supporters of Starmer consider the concerns to be pure ‘fear-mongering’ and the talk of ‘spinners and conspiracy theorists’. They emphasize the advantages: faster administration, less fraud, more efficiency.
Critics, however, see the danger of abandoning reactionary freedoms of the individual in favor of a supposedly progressive society. Edward Snowden spoke in a similar context (central bank digital currency) of the "Crypto-fascism". It's about the fundamental question of how much power we give the state over our digital existence.
What do you think about that? Is the digital ID the logical, necessary step into the future of administration, or is this the first compulsory chain towards the total surveillance state?
In any case, the debate is ignited and we should follow it closely! I also recommend you this Telepolis Article and the BBC News from Announcement Day on the subject.
EN 
DE 
ES 
FR 
IT