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Digital ID is coming

I recall many years ago that the NZ government tried to bring in a national ID card.

The initiative met with fierce resistance and was soon dropped. Back then, at least governments knew how to read the room and react accordingly. Sadly, that's not the case these days -- or perhaps the success of authoritarian lockdowns during the CV19 pandemic has given those governments a false sense of power over the people they are supposed to serve.

A national ID card back then would have been an imposition on citizens but a digital ID system today would be a far more rights-robbing move. That hasn't stopped a growing number of governments around the world rolling out such mandates and the momentum is growing almost daily.

The UK government announced over the weekend that it would be introducing just such a digital ID scheme before the end of its current term.

Using the now common political weasel-words we've come to expect, the UK government has said that it won't be compulsory but you won't be able to get a job if you don't opt in.

A very vocal portion of the UK population has reacted against this announcement and social media has exploded in anti digital ID protest.

UK PM Keir Starmer has said that this digital ID system is essential if they are to stem the tide of illegal immigration but opponents have pointed to other nations that already have digital ID yet are still suffering unprecedented levels of such immigration. The official line appears to be floundering, as people with half a brain debunk the PM's claims.

To step back a bit, it has to be conceded that a digital ID might have the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of many government agencies and private sector businesses by avoiding the hassles of maintaining a large number of separate login credentials -- in much the same way that you can log into many websites using your Google account.

The oft-touted benefit that digital ID could significantly reduced identity theft and other forms of identity fraud also appear to be attractive.

Perhaps this is why Swiss voters have just voted in favour of introducing digital ID for their country -- albeit by the slimmest of margins.

On the negative side, opponents of digital ID claim that it would provide the state with too much power and would set the stage for the kind of "social credit" system currently being operated by the Chinese Communist Party. Under this system the government has full control over bank accounts and tracks the activities of each individual citizen meticulously. Such control allows people to be instantly censured for transgressions, even those as minor as criticising the government or its policies.

So who's got it right? Those who claim it's the start of a slippery slope or those who say that we need the efficiencies and security that digital ID would bring?

Why is it that we've not seen this sort of dystopian social credit system being implemented in other European countries such as Austria, Belguium and Denmark, where digital ID has been a thing for a while already?

Why are UK citizens so opposed to this move while other countries, including Switzerland, have now embraced it?

I suspect it all boils down to whether the citizens of a nation feel they can trust their government to respect their rights and freedoms. Given the rate at which people in the UK are being arrested for posting memes and exercising their right to free speech at the moment, it's easy to see why they have no faith in the assurances offered by Keir Starmer in regards to the future levels of control and surveillance that digital ID would bring.

A petition against the introduction of digital ID in the UK has (as of the time I write this) gathered almost 2.5 million signatures in a few short days.

As we sit here, half a world away, we ought not be too complacent about the idea of digital ID because you can bet our own "powers that be" have researched the benefits (overt and covert) to be had from such a system. They too will doubtless be already working on ways to drop this on the people of NZ so as to strengthen their control over the people they allegedly exist to serve.

Let's face it, Australia has already announced its digital ID system which, just like the UK one, they claim is not compulsory -- unless you want to use some services.

Will I submit to having a digital ID imposed on me?

I think those who have followed the rantings and ravings of this aged hippy for any length of time will already know the answer to that. If Digital ID is forced upon us, I may spend my final years homeless and destitute, reliant on the kindness of strangers whilst sleeping in shop doorways for lack of access to my own money, government aid and the right to work.

Carpe Diem folks!

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