AIBU to think that Digital ID will not stop illegal immigration, and nor is it a good idea?

See university of Surrey comments:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/26/keir-starmers-plan-for-digital-ids-risks-creating-an-enormous-hacking-target

Well you probably can’t speak for everyone in every country that has ID cards tbf. And no you likely don’t see a problem, until you have a problem. That’s how mass surveillance works, if they brought it all in overnight, people would be appalled and be up in arms about it. What they do instead is gradually increase surveillance over a period of time, making every small step palatable by framing it “making you safer”, “protecting the children” and “beating crime” etc, and its drip drip drip, until one day you look up and realise you are deep in the plot of 1984 or some other dystopian nightmare. You have to resist from the start, by the time you have a problem, it’s way too late.

This won’t stop the “small boats” though. ID cards won’t stop them, and it will do nothing to stop people working illegally, however Labour are trying to spin this.

Where I originally come from, we always had Id cards. Now electronic ones. None of us feels our rights are undermined, why would they?

Exactly! We’re already getting mixed messages and seed planting. “We’ll just bring it in for accessing work, to stop illegals taking our jobs”. (Which it won’t anyway), but it will then be gradually extended until you can’t access anything without it and it will be compulsory for everyone. Don’t believe them when they say “it’ll just be for this one thing”. It won’t and they are already hinting at it.

Also something that has just occurred to me is that if this is only (at least initially) needed for workers, the only people who will be required to have them are the poor and working middle classes, the rich won’t need them, they don’t usually have jobs (and they can certainly choose to opt out by not working stress poorer people don’t have that privilege). They live off assets, or run their own businesses. So it’s only the poor and middle classes who’ll have this forced on them. The only ones who might be stopped and asked to provide their digital ID. This is an issue on so many levels.

Will we also be forced to allow the app to track our location? Some apps refuse to work without allowing this and if on, they can track location in the background even when closed. Apps are also notorious for data sharing, even when you have tracking/data sharing turned off, it can’t stop it completely. And you won’t necessarily even know about it. What data will this app be sharing and with whom? If it can track you/share your data, a tracking/data sharing app that is compulsory and that only the poor or middle classes have to have is incredibly dystopian. Fuck me.

People need to untwist their knickers about these small boats

say 500 men a day - that’s about 3,500 a week, 175,000 a year. Half a million over 3-4 years. Yeah stop getting your knickers in a twist.

It won't. You are supposed to check the right to work now. Those who don't now will continue to not do it.

They will care if they get prosecuted for it. At the moment Govs don’t seem to care but they will start to care when they think they’re going to lose out to Reform.

The vast majority of people who come over on boats are granted asylum once processed (almost 70%) so aren't illegal.

People need to untwist their knickers about these small boats

This !

I must live in some parallel universe to most mn users.

i use google maps when driving ( ells you if roadworks ahead) so google knows where i am. I log in to ebay or amazon or fb and they check my id, send a txt code to my phone number, so obviously know where i am. Many people have Alexa who listens in. I use chrome on my laptop so it knows a lot about me. The bank sends me txt confirmations-already knows my name and address.

yet somehow a digital id is some scary big brother spy risk -are you joking -the American tech cos know all about everybody. Get real.

It's weird isn't because ID cards are much a concept of the left rather than the right. State control, rather than individual freedom. The most likely thing a right wing government would do, would be scrap them.

I am quite concerned about digital ID if a very right wing government gets on, down the line ... a long term Labour supporter.
LOL. Your brain is worried about what you imagine a right wing government might hypothetically do, but are fine with a left wing one actually introducing it in the first place.
Labour voters never cease to amaze me.

And at least 10% of the UK economy is illegal, which will be more than 10% of the workforce.

Remember prescription charges? They started small then went up. Mostly , unpopular ideas are introduced in a small way, then added to later, when the fuss has died down. I am quite concerned about digital ID if a very right wing government gets on, down the line. They’ll certainly add to it, and be able to point to Labour. Which they would.

They won’t stop boats.
They won’t help the NHS with capacity
They won’t stop people working illegally.

So what are they for? To police the rest of us, especially coming from an ex director of prosecutions, which Starmer is.

And I say as someone who is not, nor has ever been a criminal, and as a long term Labour supporter.

Compulsory if you want to work, I don't want to work (retired) so won't need to bother with this in the first instance, it will be working people that have to get this.

I'm all in favour. I already have a passport, driving license etc. I'd be quite happy to have a digital ID. I think it will make life easier and make criminal activity harder.

So you won't need an ID card for any of the following?

Open a bank account
Access your money
Sell or purchase a property
Access your pension

I am not convinced.

Two words - Tony Blair.

what happens when your passport or driving licence is lost or stolen?
You still have your number and it's not hard to get a new one. And if it's digital then there no fear of it being lost.

The thing is we all know that having to have one to apply for a job is only the start. Give it a decade and it will be bank accounts and a full blown social credit system.

Utterly appalling.

You go online and pay a fee and order a replacement. In the meantime, you still have the digital version.

If you only need one for proof to work then surely anyone whose retired won’t need one so why is it mandatory.

I want to see a clear and detailed explanation of what this id will be used for why I, with my passport, driving licence, NI number and HMRC tax account needs one.

But if they are unable to open bank accounts, rent houses, work, claim benefits, get healthcare, get mobile phone contracts then they are not going to want to come here. Perhaps.