Do Brits generally approve of the new compulsory national digital ID?

It will make a small number of people involved in the tech even richer than they already are while costing the country a fortune. For zero benefit. It won't stop illegal migration which is how starmer is selling it.

It just strikes me as pointless.

Mission creep....big brother, beware

Well yes, it possibly can’t right now, but the slow creep of a centralised ID database makes all of these things possible. Finnish citizens have expressed concerns over privacy and security, you might be fine with it, but you don’t speak for the whole country.

Is it true that Finland’s digital ID is entirely voluntary at the moment too?

just this year there is call for more access to data for police and immigration services to have greater access to data for crime/health use cases. Indeed Finnish police have already had their knuckles rapped for using facial recognition software illegally.

More and more of this is likely to happen if all our personal information is accessible via a single ID. It simply provides too much power and will eventually lead to misuse of it doesn’t already. That’s just humans for you.

its a slippery slope.

I think you have completely misunderstood what the digital id is
You won't have to carry it if you don't want to.. So you won't get fined for not downloading it in your phone.
But Employers will have to check you have it before employing you and it will make it much easier to access services.

But not in one place.
not in one attractive hackable place

and not at an additional cost of billions.

for no gain

Data and AI, a 2025 system will certainly use these.

Surveillance? That's just nonsense.
Do you think the Government's in France , or Spain or most European Countries are spying on their citizens? Why would they?
Are you British? Do you use the NHS or pay taxes? Have a passport? Or a driving license? If so there is already digital information out there about you.

I'm on the fence about it at the moment. There are pros and cons.

I don't think it's anything like as creepy as what we're seeing going on in the US at the moment.

They are very worrying, I agree, but hopefully will never have enough power to cause damage.

I hope not. But they have influence and that’s frightening.

I don't see the issue or see the slightest thing creepy about it!
Most Western countries have a form of ID and we already have a lot of information on us digitally anyway. HMRC records, NHS records, salary details , passport details NI number, driving licence etc etc.
This just brings it all together and makes it easier for potential employers to prove the identity of people they are employing. I am all in favour.

I have a national insurance number, there's literally no need for anything else.

It'll cost a fortune. Government cronies will get super-rich off the back of it (much like they did in Covid times) and we'll see very little benefit from it.

I'm not interested in having digital id cards. I already have a passport and driving licence. I'm happy to continue verifying my identity as we do now.
The money this will cost should be spent on more important things.

Does it make it harder to work illegally, though not impossible of course. But I'm more interested in what the previous poster thinks has happened in Finland along the lines they wrote about.

Reform are a whole issue in themselves, is it really likely they could get in power? Their supporters are very vocal but are there enough of them for this to be a danger do you think?

Reform want to remove human rights, employment rights and the equality act.

And this. There’s been charities raising concern over access to bank accounts already.

But the government can change the law, and can do it quickly. (Covid lockdowns, foot&mouth etc.) Statutory instruments can be used to implement changes to any law in exceptional times.

Thanks. I don’t mind if other countries have it, obviously it’s up to that electorate. I don’t think it will do what it’s being sold as to do re illegal working and I think a 2025 digital ID scheme is another thing due to its AI ability.

Yes. Most people I know think it will help/ streamline things. ‘I’ve got nothing to hide so bring it on’ is the sort of thing I hear.

Honestly I’d be surprised if it was in place within the decade. There government spent £10 million putting the labour force survey online which wasn’t hugely effective so it’s still being done face to face whilst the online version goes through various incarnations several years later.

The individual identification number was introduced back in the 60s, and it connects everything so your ID number is all an authority needs to check the information on you but that still doesn't mean the government can break the law and abuse people's right's. Though I can understand being a bit more wary about that with the British government, but so long as there are still laws protecting rights, they cannot break them even if they have the technical means.

People in favour of this, how long do you think it will take to roll it out please?

@scalt thanks for your explanation

I mean, I obviously know all of this already. But hopefully your explanation will wake up a few people

You and I have talked a lot on here about lockdowns. The psychology is amazing isn't it. I thought all of this would be in place by 2022 so I suppose but at least we've had a little break.

they're just sitting there waiting for everything they perceive as an opportunity. It's so sinister and it's so depressing. The weird thing about getting older is not getting older. It's watching the same shit go round the political and societal turntable over and over again.