Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers • Hacker News Board

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#691

Post by t14000 » Sat, Sep 27, 2025, 7:17 AM UTC

KoolKat23 wrote: post #670

conorflan wrote: post #629

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My response as to the difference is the 1998 Good Friday agreement. Something that has already been branded as the Brit Card is simply something that wouldn't work in Northern Ireland, and that the name passed any scrutiny say an awful lot. Ireland is not Britain, and people from Northern Ireland can chose to identify as British, Irish or Both by birthright. A "Brit Card" is not something a significant portion of peo…

You will not need to carry it around with you. It also seems it'll actually be called Digital ID by the government, this is more a marketing tool, BritCard. (Just clarifying if it helps, I see some misinformation out there).

Because they pinky promise? It'll be required to produce one like producing a driving license is required, but you don't need to have it with you. It'll be required because pubs/bars etc will require it. It'll not be required like giving a traffic stop breath sample is not required or like giving up your password is not required.

Imagine it was called IrishID or similar, help you to have empathy for how half of NI residents might feel about Brit-anything?

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#692

Post by bfg_9k » Sat, Sep 27, 2025, 7:20 AM UTC

noodlesUK wrote: post #489

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…

A birth certificate is not proof of citizenship or legal presence in the UK for anyone born after 1983. Anchoring proof of citizenship is going to become a very obnoxious problem going forward if there is not a population register or universal ID system introduced, as you'll have to go back however many generations it takes to reach birth before 1983. I think the UK and Ireland are the only countries in the entire wo…

The vast majority of countries do not have birth right citizenship, and amongst those that to only about half have it as unrestricted.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries...

I don't exactly know what you mean by citizenship register but I can't imagine it's hard to workout who is a citizen and who isn't.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#693

Post by 4ndrewl » Sat, Sep 27, 2025, 7:25 AM UTC

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #618

4ndrewl wrote: post #433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You take what happened in the two elections previously (and I know technically we don't vote for PMs, but they drive the agenda of the party). 2015 we voted for Cameron, ended up with May then Johnson 2019 we voted for Johnson, ended up with Truss(!!) then Sunak(!)

This time everyone voted for Starmer and got friend-of-Epstein Mandelson via McSweeney as a cut-out. PMs don't drive the agenda. The UK is one of the most corrupt developed countries in the world. The people driving the agenda are billionaire and multi-millionaire donors. PM is a sales job, not a strategy job, and increasingly ridiculous PMs have been selected because the donors have had enough of liberal democracy a…

Slightly different point really - every leader has someone behind them (which is why we have the term Thatcherism, not Josephism).

The point really was about parties themselves being coalitions in all but name.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#694

Post by t14000 » Sat, Sep 27, 2025, 7:25 AM UTC

matt-p wrote: post #266

So I currently have; A National Insurance Card (needed to get a job), drivers license and passport, one of latter is also needed (in practice) to get a job. Why would a brit card help us reduce the number of people working illegally? The only notable 'employers' of illegal workers in the UK are American tech firms Uber and deliveroo (doordash) because they allow driver substitution without verifying that the substitu…

Because your NI card has no photo?

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#695

Post by Alphaeus » Sat, Sep 27, 2025, 7:29 AM UTC

3uler wrote: post #688

dannyobrien wrote: post #588

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the Netherlands may not be the best example to use as a positive example here. Notoriously, the national identity system was used during World War II as a system for discovering and eliminating the Jewish community[1]. The lessons learned from that are a frequent topic of discussion in civil liberties groups, and the Dutch experience is often cited, both global conversations and within the Netherlands -- e.g. On L…

When I moved to the Netherlands I was shocked to find out you have to maintain a registered address with the government. The government also decides how many non-family members can register at an address, so in Amsterdam it is common for people to remain registered at there parents while subletting a room in an apartment. You also get a DigiD which very convenient but also terrifying, especially when I walk around my…

Here in New Zealand, you're required to be enrolled to vote, even if you never intend to actually vote. Enrolling requires an address. I imagine it's similar in Australia, where actually voting is required by law.

I believe in New Zealand other government agencies aren't allowed to access your data without your consent though.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#696

Post by pipes » Sat, Sep 27, 2025, 7:32 AM UTC

voidUpdate wrote: post #285

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".

Really? I've generally seen more people on the left giving a shit about government overreach etc

Well, the left usually wants to expand the size of government and increase the number of things that it is responsible for.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#697

Post by motbus3 » Sat, Sep 27, 2025, 7:33 AM UTC

astonex wrote: post #351

motbus3 wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it is only online. It is really a distopean future in US and UK right now. I honestly understand the problem with immigration, but at the same time, I think this way of approaching the problem is just to create "the enemy" from 1984. It seems that immigrants right now move something between 4B-10B a month in UK which is not a small number. Considering the costs elsewhere altogether, it seems quite small…

>It is really a distopean future in US and UK right now. This ignores the fact that most of Europe and Asia already have national IDs

The digital id is not the reason for that comment, or not solely. I mean having AI cameras, legalised racial profiling, attack on vessels in international waters without proof (likely killing innocent civilians too when it could be intercepted easily on the coast), we have politics talking about cultural incompatibility of their own people because different religion, we have a post truth media, etc

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#698

Post by citrin_ru » Sat, Sep 27, 2025, 7:39 AM UTC

arrowsmith wrote: post #164

AlecSchueler wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Insert obligatory reference to Turkish barbershops Is the implied assertion that the majority of Turkish traders are operating illegally?

It's a popular stereotype in the UK (although it only seems to have arisen in the last year or so) that "Turkish barbershops" are a front for money laundering. They're certainly suspicious: all across the country, high street retailers are going bust, and yet somehow all these barbershops, nail salons, takeaway joints etc are staying in business, able to afford prime commercial real estate even though you never see a…

In the town I live there are 3 (or 4) barbershops - one Turkish and the rest are British - I don’t notice any difference, they all have a long queue on Saturdays but empty in the middle of a working day.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#699

Post by rock_artist » Sat, Sep 27, 2025, 7:39 AM UTC

m6h12 wrote: post #443

rock_artist wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In UK though, everything is run over proof of address and it's quite annoying for new immigrants(legal or not) because its circular. The circular issue is quite similar to Spain. Where in order to obtain residency you need an address. But for being able to rent, most likely you’ll need a bank account and ideally a Spanish identification number. But for having a local bank account you need an address. Similar to the…

There is a way to get into the Spanish bureaucracy quite painlessly! Its NIE blanco. You can get it in any Spanish embassy, before even getting to Spain. With that you can create a bank account or job hunt.

That won’t work entirely. The NIE blanco is a PDF so it does reduce complexity later as you have a number predefined.

But many services and people might ask you to show physical NIE. And also without address you’ll be able to open a foreigner bank account which is different than local.

Re: Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

#700

Post by t14000 » Sat, Sep 27, 2025, 7:39 AM UTC

Tycho wrote: post #620

I don’t understand what is wrong with this system: “Please employ me.” “OK, fill out this form with your name, D.O.B. and national insurance number, and if it matches against the government database then you can have the job.” What am I missing here? I suppose they could use someone else’s details, but then HMRC should be able to easily see that the NI account seems to have multiple taxpayers.

You will also want a photo that matches the face presented every time your gig worker looks at his phone to see the next order, etc or better yet fingerprint