A digital-first age is coming: it is time for the UK to embrace Digital ID
James Childs looks into the debate of Digital IDs and presents a pro-stance argument as to why it is important and integral in the digital age.
Image Credit: Getty Images
Twenty years ago, a debate was raging in Britain around ID cards. Civil liberties activists, concerned about government encroachment on our lives, vehemently opposed then Prime Minister Tony Blair’s plans to introduce compulsory, physical ID cards to all British citizens.
Floated again by Gordon Brown in the late 2000s and eventually scrapped by the Coalition Government in 2010, the idea has lain dormant with liberty champions pointing at the unsuccessful attempts by the New Labour government whenever the idea so much as gets a mention in British political discourse.
Two decades on, and the landscape could not be more different. We now live in a digital-first age, with the emergence of AI shaping public policy and concerns about migration, both legal and illegal, dictating the national conversation.
Last week, the Government – already, it would be fair to say, less than popular – took an almighty leap of faith and proposed the introduction of compulsory Digital ID cards for all. Since the announcement, all other major political parties, and a significant proportion of backbench Labour MPs, have come out against the proposals.
The usual fears of government overreach, the ‘Big Brother’ state and an Orwellian Britain has been raised by Starmer’s opponents, both internal and external to his party. In truth, the Prime Minister is spot on. In this digital first age, it is time to embrace technological advancements and improve our everyday lives for the better.
The introduction of a Digital ID system would simplify government and make huge advancements to cut the bureaucratic state. Opponents would find it hard to argue against a centralised identification system where citizens could prove their identity, access services, claim welfare, and secure a job without having to reach for endless paperwork such as a utility bill just to prove your address.
Physical ID cards were always tainted with the credible argument that they were open to fraud. It would only be a matter of time until criminals could easily produce replicas of the plastic cards to commit identity fraud. The digital element removes this concern, as a unique code, much like used on digital concert tickets, could easily prove validity.
Those concerned about Digital ID’s vulnerability to cyber-attacks should look at the Estonian model of a de-centralised database which makes their systems impenetrable to hackers and safeguard citizens.
I fear the civil liberties argument holds little to no credibility, given the digital age now means we surrender a huge chunk of personal data to tech giants and, even worse, third-party partners of these sites. The government should really be the least of people’s worries when it comes to someone knowing who exactly you are.
Britain has also become an outlier with its closest neighbours, with 26 out of the 27 EU countries currently piloting some form of digital identification scheme of their own.
The never-ending issue of migration, both legal and illegal, causes a seemingly perpetual headache for governments of all colours. Whilst a Digital ID system would admittedly not be the answer to all these problems, they would produce an extra barrier to prevent people with no right to reside or work in the UK from being able to do so.
For students such as myself, the countless times I have left the house for a night out without my driving license have been a source of great irritation. A Digital ID system, coupled with the godsend of Apple Pay, would mean I would simply only require my phone to leave the house, removing the all-too-real possibility of me losing my wallet and allowing someone access to my bank cards and other personal items.
The public mood has also shifted significantly. In 2006, the public opinion was wholeheartedly against any form of identity cards. Twenty years on and research from YouGov showed that whilst public opposition was still at 45%, support was only slightly behind at 42%, with 14% undecided.
The fight the Government will have to face on this issue will be fierce, a rainbow coalition of opposition parties in the Commons, coupled with Starmer’s own MPs and the civil liberties campaigners will not make this easy for the Government. Starmer must be brave and show the public, and his opponents, the real benefits of such a scheme.
By far the biggest shortcoming of this government has been its communications, consistently failing to deliver a convincing message to voters and a vision of what a ‘Starmer Britain’ looks like. To succeed on Digital ID, the Government must communicate to voters the acute benefits to them as citizens and not solely rely on solving bigger picture issues such as tackling immigration to gain the public’s consent on this.
Words by James Childs