THE REALITY OF DIGITAL ID
WHAT IS DIGITAL ID
& HOW IS IT DIFFERENT?
Digital ID is a government- or company-issued online identity stored in a central database, often verified using biometric data such as facial recognition or fingerprints. Unlike your current physical ID (passport or driving licence), a Digital ID can be constantly linked to your personal data - including your health records, finances, travel history, and online activity.
While it may be presented as a tool for convenience, it carries serious implications for privacy and personal freedom.
OUR CURRENT
PHYSICAL ID SYSTEM
• Secure, proven, and privacy-respecting
(offline and decentralised)
• Harder to hack or track
• Gives individuals more control over their
personal information
• Protects dignity, autonomy, and anonymity
- vital for a free, democratic society
DIGITAL ID OFFERS
• Greater surveillance potential
• Increased vulnerability to data breaches
• Exclusion of people without digital access
HOW COULD DIGITAL ID IMPACT YOU?
Digital ID systems are likely to link with cameras, facial recognition, and AI tracking - especially in cities like London, already one of the most surveilled in Europe.
MORE SURVEILLANCE
Large centralised databases are attractive targets for hackers and open to misuse.
DATA RISKS
Once connected, authorities could monitor or restrict access to finances, healthcare, travel, or even social media based on behaviour or compliance.
GOVERNMENT OVERREACH
Those without smartphones or internet access risk being locked out of essential services
EXCLUSION
Digital ID systems lay the groundwork for a “social credit” infrastructure - rewarding or punishing citizens based on compliance.
RISK OF AUTHORITARIANSISM
Implementation could run into billions of pounds in taxpayer money.
HIGH COST
There’s little evidence that Digital ID will reduce fraud or illegal migration.
UNPROVEN BENEFITS
Identity control shifts from individuals to corporations and government authorities.
CENTRALISATION OF POWER
Euan Blair (Tony Blair’s son) - owner of the company Multiverse - is set to earn £1.7 billion from developing the UK’s Digital ID app.
INSURANCE & PROFIT
GLOBAL EXAMPLES: HOW DIGITAL ID IS IMPACTING OTHER COUNTRIES
CHINA 🇨🇳
Mandatory “real-name” IDs are used to track online activity, finances, and movement. This system underpins China’s social credit system, where individuals are scored and monitored — their rewards and punishments determined by their behaviour.
VIETNAM 🇻🇳
In 2025, 86 million citizens who refused Digital ID reportedly had their bank accounts frozen.
INDIA 🇮🇳
The Aadhaar biometric ID, though labelled voluntary, has become essential for banking, welfare, and travel - with major data breaches exposing millions of identities.
VENEZUELA 🇻🇪
The “Patria” ID system is linked to food, welfare, elections, and travel. Political opponents risk losing passports or benefits for non-compliance.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Digital ID is being sold as a step toward “efficiency” and “security,” but in practice it risks creating a society of constant surveillance, financial dependency, and limited personal freedom.
A free society depends on independent identity - where individuals retain control over their private information, not governments or corporations.
A LINK TO THE SOCIAL CREDIT SYSTEM
Once Digital ID is implemented, it opens the door to a social credit system - a model already active in China and being tested in other countries. Under such a system, every aspect of your life can be monitored and scored based on behaviour, spending, and compliance with government rules.
Access to banking, healthcare, travel, or employment could depend on maintaining an acceptable “score.”
Those who dissent, protest, or express the “wrong” opinions risk losing access to essential services altogether.
This is not a distant possibility - it’s the logical next step in a fully digitalised ID infrastructure.
If we don’t draw the line now, freedom as we know it could quietly disappear behind a screen.
