Has anybody bothered to specify what this will actually cover, and what it will be mandatory for? Does it imply an increase in "papers please" sweeps?
Rights groups urge UK PM Starmer to abandon plans for mandatory digital ID
21–30 of 152 posts
Re: Rights groups urge UK PM Starmer to abandon plans for mandatory digital ID
#22Digital ID works great in the nordic countries and doubtless elsewhere.
Does it require using a Google or Apple product?
Re: Rights groups urge UK PM Starmer to abandon plans for mandatory digital ID
#23My wife who is from a large mainland European country, has an ID card. Everyone has one and they're mandatory. It makes it trivial to prove your bona fides and is good for air travel within the Schengen area. Her ID even has a chip which can be used to create digital signatures for situations where rock-solid proof of identity is required.
Amazingly, they've always had ID cards and the world hasn't ended. These countries are in some ways freer and more democratic than the UK.
'Civil libertarianism' has become a self-licking ice cream cone, and their advocacy is not only shrill and counterproductive, but also enables common criminals and bad geopolitical actors, engaging in aggressive hybrid war against free countries.
One of the few ways we are going to be able to fight off the Russian and Chinese hybrid war aggression that is assailing the West online is to hold online commenters accountable by binding their online identities to real-world strong IDs.
The libertarians may not like it, but this is the direction the world is going. Strong ID is a common sense, tried-and-true approach to protecting ourselves against criminals and foreign aggressors. And we'll eventually get digital strong ID, unless the boot-leather connoisseurs amongst us win this argument.
Re: Rights groups urge UK PM Starmer to abandon plans for mandatory digital ID
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
The new justification (to deter illegal immigration) is expecially obviously bogus because, as the law stands, people must already prove their "right to work" to get a job and their "right to rent" to rent accommodation. Illegal immigrants manage, they would manage, too, with digital IDs because some employers and landlords are fine exploiting them. Or the plan is in fact to be asked "papers, please" where ever you g…
You just cherry picked two examples which are not issues in other countries with ID cards. ID cards can prove who is an illegal immigrant or not, and with the current atmosphere. I want to know and be confident that we can check people's status efficiently and correctly who's here. Sure there might be some small process mishaps but for the safety of the nation, it is worth it.
"but for the safety of the nation, it is worth it"
That's a pretty chilling phrase.
Re: Rights groups urge UK PM Starmer to abandon plans for mandatory digital ID
#25I don’t want this, but I don’t really see a future where it isn’t a thing. One group of people are right to point out the scope for abuse and control of a population, and another are correct that we already have multiple forms of digital ID in the shape of driving licenses, national insurance numbers, and passports. At this point, I view it as a thing we have to navigate as a society and get to the other side of. If I have any energy at all to fight anything related to this, I’m saving it for after the implementation because, as I said at the start of this post, I view it as inevitable. Luckily for us, though, through total coincidence, we’re now going to have massive AI data centres to help us with this brave new digital identity.
Re: Rights groups urge UK PM Starmer to abandon plans for mandatory digital ID
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is really easy to fake though and employers kind of have to take your word for it that the documentation you provide is real. I'm assuming a digital ID scheme will just bring all the data together and make it instantly verifiable for employers. I would normally be suspicious about this sort of thing but I do think a lack of a single entity bringing all the data together is limiting us technologically in the UK.…
No, it is not easy to fake. As @vinay427 mentioned this is most digital now so you get a "share code" from the Home Office, which you provide to your prospective employer. In turn they go to the Home Office's website, input the code, and should get your picture, details, and entitlement to work. That's on top of having a passport to go with it.
THats only if they ask for it.
I changed job recently, and they just wanted a passport.
Re: Rights groups urge UK PM Starmer to abandon plans for mandatory digital ID
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is really easy to fake though and employers kind of have to take your word for it that the documentation you provide is real. I'm assuming a digital ID scheme will just bring all the data together and make it instantly verifiable for employers. I would normally be suspicious about this sort of thing but I do think a lack of a single entity bringing all the data together is limiting us technologically in the UK.…
No, it is not easy to fake. As @vinay427 mentioned this is most digital now so you get a "share code" from the Home Office, which you provide to your prospective employer. In turn they go to the Home Office's website, input the code, and should get your picture, details, and entitlement to work. That's on top of having a passport to go with it.
If you're a foreigner on a visa(or an EU settled status resident), yes. If you are a British person(or pretending to be one) then you just need to show your employer your British passport(or one of several other acceptable documents), and obviously faking a picture of a passport is pretty trivial. And since employers generally don't have access to the system that can verify passports they take your word on the document being valid.
Re: Rights groups urge UK PM Starmer to abandon plans for mandatory digital ID
#28Digital ID works great in the nordic countries and doubtless elsewhere.
Does it require using a Google or Apple product?
Generally, yeah, to use the online government and financial services in Sweden need BankID, which is almost always on your mobile phone. You can also use a PC, although that is fading away.
ID cards are also a thing, and in principle every grownup should always be carrying ID although its not like everybody really does when walking around the park etc.
There are paper and in-person alternatives to the online services, but the ease and prevalence of the online services makes those actually relatively efficient. The times I've had to do something in person has all been slick.
I think underneath the key concept is that everyone has a unique ID number and means to prove it's them. 99% of the time that ends up being Mobile BankID.
Re: Rights groups urge UK PM Starmer to abandon plans for mandatory digital ID
#29Digital ID works great in the nordic countries and doubtless elsewhere.
Does it require using a Google or Apple product?
The most common version does (in Denmark), but you can get a code display to login if you want: https://www.mitid.dk/en-gb/get-started-with-mitid/how-to-use...
Re: Rights groups urge UK PM Starmer to abandon plans for mandatory digital ID
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, it is not easy to fake. As @vinay427 mentioned this is most digital now so you get a "share code" from the Home Office, which you provide to your prospective employer. In turn they go to the Home Office's website, input the code, and should get your picture, details, and entitlement to work. That's on top of having a passport to go with it.
If you're a foreigner on a visa(or an EU settled status resident), yes. If you are a British person(or pretending to be one) then you just need to show your employer your British passport(or one of several other acceptable documents), and obviously faking a picture of a passport is pretty trivial. And since employers generally don't have access to the system that can verify passports they take your word on the docume…
As someone who's just got their new British passport, faking the 3 pictures on it, and the whole passport itself, does not look trivial at all...
I think it is much, much, much more common to have dodgy employers/landlords who do not carry out the checks at all because they are fine exploiting illegal immigrants, and no type of ID card would solve that...