‘Surveillance society’: Will you be signing up for a digital ID?

‘Orwellian society’, ‘checkpoint Britain’ and ‘surveillance society’. These are just some of the terms used to describe the government’s digital ID scheme. 

When it is eventually rolled out, it have your name, date of birth and photo in an ID on your phone.

While the government says they want to roll it out to help tackle employment fraud, make it easier to access benefits, rent and apply for university, sceptics are concerned about privacy, data breaches and an erosion of civil liberties. So, how do people feel about it?

Rumours have been swirling online that digital IDs will track Brits’ every move, from flying habits to meat consumption. Sir Keir Starmer told Metro yesterday that this was all rubbish, and there are ‘no plans to do it, nor ever would there be’.

Is it mandatory and can you opt out?

Well, it’s safe to say communications around it have been confusing. Starmer told us yesterday that it’s not compulsory, unless you want to be employed, which probably most of the population does.

If you change jobs or apply for a job after 2028 – if the scheme is approved – you’ll need a digital ID to prove you have a right to work in the UK. For all other things – like buying booze, it will be voluntary, he added.

Matthew Feeney, advocacy manager at Big Brother Watch, said it was like being told you’re welcome to go outside, but you’ll need a digital ID to do so.

He said: ‘It will be of very little comfort to be told you’re not being compelled to sign up unless you want to work. Being employed is an ordinary part of most people’s lives. I do worry the government’s messaging on this is being a bit deceptive, perhaps not deliberately.’ 

Are we turning into George Orwell’s 1984?

This seems to be the feeling among Metro readers. The story sparked over 14,000 comments on our Facebook page, most of which were negative about the scheme.

Okechukwu Ogbonnia said: ‘Is it hard for Starmer to take no for an answer? The people said no to digital ID.’

Darren Grace thinks the scheme should be ‘optional from the start. David Weston added: ‘Unfortunately people don’t trust governments anymore, even if he’s telling the truth people just think yes this might be true now but over time they’ll add more and more restrictions bit by bit.’

But David Joanes believes the scheme will ‘make life easier’ for people. He said: ‘Many countries already use them to identify when using the health service, opening bank accounts.’

For reader Tom Bond, who works in cyber security, trust is a key issue and he fears the data could be hacked. He told Metro: ‘It’s a very bad idea. I would never use that unless somebody comes and bangs on my door and makes me do it.’

Siân Berry, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, is leading cross-party condemnation of the plans and has called on the government to scrap the plans.

She told Metro: ‘People are going to keep resisting this. “Checkpoint Britain”, “surveillance society” these are all things our citizens can’t tolerate, they see it as a state intrusion.

‘The fundamental thing is people shouldn’t have to prove who they are or account for themselves when going about their daily lives and having a digital ID card that everyone carries opens up the way to this kind of intrusion.’

‘We need a lot more than just assurances from the prime minister’

Perhaps what’s fuelling the rumour mill is the incoherent messaging around the scheme. 

Matthew from Big Brother Watch told Metro that we need ‘a lot more than just assurances from the prime minister’ for such a big change that will provide infrastructure ‘that could be used for all sorts of things’ by future governments. 

He added: ‘We have nothing to go on other than public comments from the government. We have no wording on legislation, we don’t know when the consultation will happen.

‘Given that the prime minister is proposing something that the UK has resisted for decades and decades we would like to see more details and consistent messaging.’

But Alex Hardy, a research associate at the University of Liverpool who previously lived in Estonia, which is one of many countries that already uses digital IDs, said he felt more positive about them.

In a piece for The Conversation, he said that Estonia saves 2 per cent GDP annually because of less bureaucracy.

He added: ‘The Estonian case remains perhaps the leading example of digital ID in Europe, and is a particularly mature case, with more than two decades of success to highlight.

‘Opportunities include enhanced public service delivery through efficiency.

‘The UK could potentially emulate this model. It can minimise the grey economy (economic activities that are not taxed or monitored by the government). It can also prevent illegal work and tax avoidance, prevent false benefit claims and speed up interactions with the state.’

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