Digital ID cards are coming

It’s official - the Government has decided that it will introduce a Mandatory Digital ID scheme in the UK as part of its efforts to stop illegal immigration.

In particular they highlight the need for Digital ID to stop migrants working illegally. 

This confuses us, because in order to work legally, migrants already have to produce ID (such as a passport) and the correct documentation. It’s not clear how a Digital ID would improve on this? 

So we have to say we’re suspicious. Because once you introduce a mandatory ID card, who is to say where the checks will stop? Will we have to produce our ID to enter an A&E department? Will we have to show our ID to use public transport? And what will the Government do with the enormous amounts of data it will gather on its citizens. And how will that data be kept private?

When the last Labour Government tried to introduce ID cards in the 2000s, it was met with large scale public opposition. Unlock Democracy and its predecessor organisation, Charter 88 were at the forefront of the opposition (NO2ID) campaign. 

Ultimately the plan was defeated and the ID Cards legislation passed in 2006 was repealed by the Coalition Government in 2010, but not before billions of pounds were wasted on an unnecessary scheme. But now proposals for a Digital ID card are back. 

A leading Labour think-tank, Labour Together, published a paper in June saying that “a mandatory, universal, national identity credential - BritCard - can help Britain control illegal migration and secure its borders.”

The report went on - 

By introducing a mandatory, universal, national identity credential - BritCard - the Labour Government has the opportunity to build a new piece of civic infrastructure, something that would become a familiar feature of daily life for everyone in the country. It would support better enforcement of migration rules, and protect vulnerable British citizens from being wrongly denied their rights. It could end identity exclusion, resolving uncertainty and risk for those whose status is uncertain, and providing a quick, secure, privacy-preserving means for everyone to verify their identity and their migration status when dealing with government, when taking up a new job, or taking on property.

So how should Unlock Democracy react to this?

We are living in a very different world to twenty years ago when this issue was last debated. Today the Government is talking about a Digital ID that would live on our smartphones - which weren’t even invented when Labour put forward its ID Card scheme in the 2000s.

Over recent years, people have agreed, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes grudgingly because we have no choice, and sometimes unknowingly to hand over vast amounts of personal data to private companies like Apple, Google and Meta. This includes our location, our friendships, our health data, what we spend our money on, whether we’re awake or asleep, the list goes on. 

Most of us have done this in return for the daily convenience and help their products offer. As a result private companies know far more about us than the Government does. 

It can be argued that the Government has been slow in embracing technological change. It’s only in recent years that paper forms have (mostly) disappeared from our lives. Although in the NHS, many people still face phoning their doctor's surgery at 8am if they want an appointment rather than simply booking something online. Government services have become more and more interlinked with a single .GOV login where people can access a wide range of Government services. 

Most of these changes have clear advantages for service users. Meanwhile the Government gains from efficiency savings and a range of other benefits. For several years now, Electoral Registration Officers have been able to check applications and people's identity against data held by the Department for Work & Pensions (although current laws prevent them from automatically adding someone to the electoral register who is on the Government’s system, but not on the register). 

So could a Digital ID scheme be good for people? 

Clearly there are times when it would be useful to have a universally accepted ID card on your phone, whether that’s a driving licence, passport or a new ID.

But it’s also true that what’s convenient for one person, is not convenient for another. Introducing online booking schemes can often leave someone who’s not IT literate, or doesn't have access to connected electronic devices, seriously disadvantaged. Millions of people in this country do not have a smartphone, including 1 in 5 over 65s. 

Also, while it would be convenient to have an ID on your phone, just how often do we actually need to show it? 

And that brings us to the bigger question, what could this scheme become in the future? If the Labour Together report is to be believed, we are talking about a mandatory scheme that could change our society quite dramatically.

Labour Together is clear that the purpose of mandatory ID is to control illegal immigration and our borders. For that to be effective, we’re very likely to be asked to prove who we are a lot more often than now. After all, how is this going to be any more effective at securing our borders than a passport? 

Today the Government is just talking about forcing job applicants to show Digital ID (rather than things like passports right now). In the future, we could be asked for ID before entering an Accident & Emergency Unit? Could we face random stops in the street and be asked to produce our ID? Could we be asked for ID before we use other public services such as a recycling centre, a library or to buy a train ticket? 

What will the Government do with the extra data they gather and what safeguards would be in place to stop it being misused? 

At what stage does a Digital ID switch from a convenience to a device that can be abused by a future government who might have more authoritarian tendencies?

We are concerned that this looks like a rush job. It wasn’t in Labour’s Manifesto last year. It seems to be more of a kneejerk reaction to the rise of Reform UK in the opinion polls. History has shown us again and again that bad legislation is usually rushed legislation.

Some supporters of the scheme have extolled the convenience in everyday life that digital IDs could bring. It’s also fair to point out that many democracies have ID cards without becoming a dystopian nightmare! 

A voluntary Digital ID could add convenience to our lives. A mandatory Digital ID, that we’re asked to produce on demand, whilst going about our daily business, would be less attractive. 

One of Unlock Democracy’s founding principles is human rights for all. A mandatory Digital ID scheme in the wrong hands, could easily be used to restrict those rights.

There are huge questions about the costs and potential effectiveness of this scheme. There could be huge implications for our privacy, our freedom and how we live our everyday lives.

Have you got a view - let us know at team@unlockdemocracy.org.uk