The U.K. government is planning to introduce mandatory digital identification or “Brit cards” for adults. These ID cards are meant to tackle immigration issues, but are they a good idea?
According to Euronews, Britain is requiring all citizens to register with the digital ID system by 2029. The new identification system digitizes identity information via an app. The U.K. government argues the new process will “simplify interactions with public services and enhance security by verifying individuals’ identities more efficiently.” The government’s website claims the “digital ID scheme will make it easier for people across the U.K. to use vital government services.”
“Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the U.K.” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a statement. “It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure. And it will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly, rather than hunting around for an old utility bill.”
Euronews reports this system will facilitate access to public services including healthcare, education, welfare services and more. But more importantly to government officials, the use of the app will ensure that immigrants without official documentation in the U.K. will not have access to public services.
Many people in the U.K. are concerned that the new system could be used to closely track citizens’ movements. Organizations against data and personal privacy infringement, like Big Brother Watch, have campaigned against these changes, pointing to the “dangerous implications for our security, rights and freedoms.”
In previous years, versions of the Brit card were rejected by Britain’s conservative party for threatening personal privacy, according to The Guardian. The party called the ID cards “the worst of all worlds—intrusive, ineffective, and enormously expensive.” Starmer, however, is pushing the mandate through, and it seems U.K. leaders believe there will be less public opposition this time around, even though 1.7 million elderly people do not use the internet and may be excluded.
For trans people, personal privacy is of the utmost importance, especially in the U.K. where sentiments around transness are often hostile. PinkNews reports trans residents across the U.K. are worried that the identification cards will contain information that could potentially out them. Though many trans people in the U.K. have their gender recognized by the Gender Recognition Act which issues Gender Recognition Certificates for trans people to legally change their gender markers on legal documentation. Some trans people fear their Gender Recognition Certificates will not be accepted in association with Brit cards.
