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Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

reuters.com

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Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#321

Post by somelamer567 »

masfuerte wrote: post #293
gattr wrote: post #260

> Stored on mobile phones, the ID would contain details including a name, date of birth, residency status and crucially a photo - which would distinguish it from National Insurance numbers. Surely it will be possible to also store it on some government-issued, GCHQ-vetted digital device, and not rely on foreign companies (Google/Apple) and their locked-down mobile platforms?

They've already said you won't need a mobile phone. They mention phones as a deliberate distraction from the fact that they will be building a huge central database. I will be very surprised if the app does much more than dish up a pre-signed chunk of ID data, much like an e-passport does now. It won't actually need a secure device. (Which isn't to say they will support anything except android and iphone.)

Is there any particular reason why a UK central identity database is bad, while the French and Spanish central identity databases aren't a problem?

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#322

Post by LinAGKar »

isodev wrote: post #12

I’ve always lived in places where having an ID on you has been part of your “citizen responsibilities”. So reading the post my feeling was “oh cool, they’re getting a new eID-like system”. But I imagine it’s a huge step if folks could get by without an ID at all.

In this case, sounds like you'll not just be required to carry an ID. Everyone in the country will be legally required to carry an Android phone or iPhone.

Well, maybe the app will keep working and you can update it from Aurora Store. Pretty vague so far.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#323

Post by motbus3 »

matt-p wrote: post #309
motbus3 wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess the guy above is right. It is about the data and the right to use your face and track you everywhere. This can be easily paired with that UK bonkers camera ai thing. They might not need to know who is illegal, but if the camera does not know you, you might need to explain yourself and show an id. At the same time, I wonder how will they deal with people wearing burkas, masks, balaclavas etc

Government already have my photo for passport and driver's license, I struggle to believe that there's people here working who don't have at least a provisional license or passport of any kind.

Maybe they plan to ask Uber and deliveroo to authenticate the workers via facial recognition?

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#324

Post by octo888 »

GordonS wrote: post #313

It's quite possible that this whole digital ID thing is a red herring, to distract from recent revelations about Morgan McSweeney - who illegally took money from the Israel lobby, to fund a fake "antisemitism crisis" in Labour, with the goal of replacing Corbyn with Israel-aligned Starmer. Some of the digital ID proposal documents published by UK gov even bear the "Labour Together" stamp - Labour Together being the I…

> Some of the digital ID proposal documents published by UK gov even bear the "Labour Together" stamp - Labour Together being the Israel-aligned "think tank" that McSweeney used for the illegal funds!

Wow straight out of the Tory playbook (see eg Rhys-Mogg "lying [down] in Parliament" to poison search results for lying to parliament). They are so incredibly similar

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#325

Post by netdevphoenix »

matt-p wrote: post #298
netdevphoenix wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Easy and cheap regular checks on the spot presential or/and online, as frequently as you want vs rare scheduled difficult and expensive checks. Possibilities get realised such as regular remote checks (ie selfie to prove you are the id owner holder, address proof, etc, flagging odd id holder behaviour or employer, etc). Currently, you cannot do this, no visibility into who works where and where that person even resem…

I do selfie to prove I match my driver's license all the time (needed for app based banks, and so on)? The government absolutely knows where I work, are you joking? That's what NI numbers are for. You seriously think there isn't a join table in a government database with my NI number and passport number?

There are other workers in the UK aside from you. The policy affects them too not just you. You are getting the business requirements wrong. You are unlikely to be the main reason for the policy. Folks getting paid under minimum wage such as some gig workers using someone else's identity are the main target.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#326

Post by michaelt »

somelamer567 wrote: post #292
billyjobob wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fact that the UK doesn’t allow “impromptu checks”, otherwise known as “Papers please!” is not a bug, it’s a feature that distinguishes our democracy from other states and we are pretty proud of it.

That unfortunately can, and will change. In times of war, civil liberties get curtailed. And in 2025 when Russian and Chinese bots are interfering in our democracy at an industrial scale to destroy our countries from within, the idea of identity being overlooked for all aspects of public life is looking increasingly untenable.

Do you believe these russian and chinese bots are walking the streets, where an 'impromptu check' by a policeman would stop them?

Or are you saying this electronic ID card will be linked to people's twitter accounts, to better police speech online?

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#327

Post by astonex »

matt-p wrote: post #319
astonex wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A Brit can pass a RTW check without a drivers license or a passport - a paper birth certificate is also acceptable (and paper can be lost, damaged, forged), as neither a drivers license or a passport a mandatory. Getting those can be expensive for some people while this ID is free. A NI number is not ID, it's a reporting number. Lastly, a national ID is a tried and tested scheme in many, many countries and brings a l…

I appreciate that, I decided to exclude it for simplicity because obviously not everyone working here was born here :) I don't really understand why I need a Fourth (or Fifth)! National ID? I don't really get the point on reporting number, true, but it's also a UID linked to a passport or birth certificate.

You don't currently have any National ID. You have forms of ID, which others might not have, but none are national mandatory ID that every citizen and resident has. As such many benefits in streamlining and simplifying processes cannot be achieved when everyone has a UID as such. Imagine making a system where you used various ID formats, and you couldn't guarantee anyone had one in particular, and some people had none.

Your NI card literally says it's not identification. A NI number is not linked to a passport as it's not mandatory to have a passport, so that would not work for many people. It is just a number used for tax accounting.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#328

Post by matt-p »

Lio wrote: post #290
notavalleyman wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the person you're replying to, just explained to you, how the government already have the relevant data. So it's clearly not about data, because the government already issue his NINO and passport Edit - I mean, just play it back in your head. The PM is probably watching small boat arrivals and reform polling numbers like a hawk. And here's his idea to fix both problems, and you're saying, actually no, the PM is j…

I think it's 100% about the data. I beleive that Labour see this new ID system as the solution to all the age verification questions now required by the Online Safety Act. e.g. access to things like Reddit, BlueSky messaging, Spotify. With that in mind I think new data you're talking about will be enhanced tracking and monitoring on everyday online activity of UK citizens.

I tend to agree, that or a big distraction/white elephant/dead cat.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#329

Post by somelamer567 »

pipes wrote: post #281

I genuinely think the next move will be using it as part of their age verification check. I am guessing they want it to be your online id. No more anonymous internet usage. It is really grim what is happening to the UK. For the most part no one gives a shit. And if you do, you are automatically branded as "right wing".

> No more anonymous internet usage

And given the torrent of inauthentic "right wing" commentators nudging public opinion on the BBC's Have Your Say, the Daily Mail and Reddit, I'm not entirely sure this will be a bad thing.

Recall that Iran cut off the internet for university exams, and the volume of posting by Scottish pro-independence accounts on Twitter/X dropped 98%. Food for thought.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#330

Post by Hikikomori »

voidUpdate wrote: post #258

What's the benefit of this over a passport? A passport is a physical thing, so you don't need to have a phone to be able to use it, proves who you are with the same details as this digital ID, and will probably require a similar amount of paperwork to get hold of

Can't use your passport online. In Sweden we have bank id, its used for everything from validating purchases, logging in to banks, government or other websites, to sign documents, get a loan, etc. To get it you would need to go to a bank and present a proper ID, the ones using bank id for auth or otherwise only get your name and personal number.
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