The Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) has issued a major update following mounting fears over ‘mass surveillance’ across Britain.The statement addresses a growing petition, which has now attracted more than two million signatures, calling for the immediate scrapping of digital ID cards.
Currently, digital ID cards are planned to be rolled out to all UK residents and legal residents ahead of the next general election, which must take place by August 2029 at the latest. The Government claims the cards would be ‘stored securely’ on mobile devices to offer ‘authoritative proof’ of a person’s identity and residency status within the nation.
Whilst officials suggest this measure could help cut identity fraud and boost access to public services, petition organisers and numerous demonstrators worry it represents a move ‘towards mass surveillance’ and increased ‘digital control’. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has also expressed similar worries, stressing that the ‘state should never have this much power’ in an X post last month.
Now, in a fresh response to public concern, the DSIT said its model will be ‘fit for the needs of modern Britain’ and reaffirmed its dedication to making ‘people’s everyday lives easier and more secure’.
“We will introduce a digital ID within this Parliament to help tackle illegal migration, make accessing government services easier, and enable wider efficiencies,” the DSIT update read. “We will consult on details soon.”
It later continued: “We are committed to making people’s everyday lives easier and more secure, to putting more control in their hands (including over their own data), and to driving growth through harnessing digital technology. We also want to learn from countries which have digitised government services for the benefit of their citizens, in line with our manifesto commitment to modernise government.
“Currently, when UK citizens and residents use public services, start a new job, or, for example, buy alcohol, they often need to present an assortment of physical documents to prove who they are or things about themselves.
“This is both bureaucratic for the individual and creates space for abuse and fraud. This includes known issues with illegal working and modern slavery, while the fragmented approach and multiple systems across Government make it difficult for people to access vital services. Further, there are too many people who are excluded, like the 1 in 10 UK adults who don’t have a physical photo ID, so can struggle to prove who they are and access the products and services they are entitled to.
“To tackle these interlinked issues, we will introduce a new national digital ID. This is not a card but a new digital identity that will be available for free to all UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over (although we will consider through consultation if this should be age 13 and over).”
The DSIT revealed it hopes citizens will eventually use the ID cards ‘seamlessly’ to access numerous services, thereby simplifying particular dealings with the state. Although a card will be mandatory to prove a person’s Right to Work, actually obtaining one won’t be compulsory.
This indicates that being without a digital ID will not constitute a criminal offence, and officers will be unable to demand one during a ‘stop and search’.
The response added: “Privacy and security will also be central to the digital ID programme. We will follow data protection law and best practice in creating a system which people can rightly put their trust in.
“People in the UK already know and trust digital credentials held in their phone wallets to use in their everyday lives, from paying for things to storing boarding passes. The new system will be built on similar technology and be your boarding pass to government.
“Digitally checkable digital credentials are more secure than physical documents which can be lost, copied or forged, and often mean sharing more information than just what is necessary for a given transaction. The new system will be designed in accordance with the highest security standards to protect against a comprehensive range of threats, including cyber-attacks.
“We will launch a public consultation in the coming weeks and work closely with employers, trade unions, civil society groups and other stakeholders, to co-design the scheme and ensure it is as secure and inclusive as possible. Following consultation, we will seek to bring forward legislation to underpin this system.”
The ongoing petition ‘Do not introduce Digital ID cards’ is approaching three million signatures. It is currently awaiting a date for a debate in Parliament.
You can read the petition in full here.