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

[MsAmerica]

I admit I don't know much about it, but I find it creepy.

Do you think it's in reaction to the immigrant problem, or what?

I’m against it. I don’t want a ‘Brit’ Id. I’m Irish, I live in NI, I’m Allowed to be Irish as per GFA.

My parents grew up in communist countries where if you went against the government?You could be killed. 2 of my uncles, apparently quite mild mannered men were killed by the government for criticising the policies.
My very straight mum who has never broken a law in her life is so opposed to this.Because she knows if it gets in the wrong hands (hello reform) it could lead to terrible abuse of power.

The identity will contain name, date of birth, information on nationality or residency status, and a photo. So the same as a passport which is also digitally stored. Does your Mum have a passport?

The government has all that information online already. They already know who we are, where we live, how much we earn, what car we drive and more. I don't see it makes much difference that we'd have to provide something on our phone instead of the letter we got sent with our NI number (or in my case a postcard) so we can work.
However, it has big potential failure written all over it, it's going to cost how much? and I would like more transparency about how it's going to work and essential safeguards.

What happens if people don't have a smartphone ?

If govt already have everything they need, then why is this needed in addition?

(I agree the govt has enough info on us already), what’s missing is that is isn’t all joined up across systems, so things are known in isolation or within a limited set of systems. A full picture of a person isn’t currently available to government without considerable legwork and overhead (rightfully so in my opinion).

Slippery slope

I presume you will need a passport and or driver's licence to get an id card?

I see no issue in someone getting one but it seems illogical you need other id to get id card, so someone would have to have some form of id to start with, they wont appear out of thin air

Did anyone read about the gang of foreign nationals who defrauded the DWP and claimed 50 million pounds of benefits with fake names. Surely if we have I.D cards and this is required to claim said benefits it cuts out this kind of fraud, 🤷‍♀️

Well well well.

Or would the criminals just get smarter and find more ways around it?

Don't see the issue wouldn't bother me either way. I don't understand why as a country we have to fight against every new thing thats introduced especially when it will make no difference to our lives

Its about mission creep.

it’s all about who profits.

Lets not sleepwalk into this.

Its about paranoia people seem to think everytime something new is announced the government is out to get them.

It’s valid concerns.

They are telling lies and it won’t achieve its purported purpose.

I mean I was suspicious that Tony Blair kept going on about ID cards being useful. And guess what? His son’s company has the contract. Curious that.

What lies nothing has officially been announced everything you have read upto now has come from the media and people on social media

Kier saying they’ll help control migration. It won’t.

This - remember how HS2 has gone?

The consultation part is going to start soon - how much will that cost? Then it has to be maintained each and every year.

One estimate is that it may cost £100 million a year to maintain ie not even the setting up of the system

All public money.

I would much rather the water companies were sorted out so that our rivers, lakes and beaches aren't polluted.

Also more affordable social housing for people paying high rents they can't afford.

No not for me. I don’t want my every move tracked.

It’s possible that everywhere you go, places will start to ask for your digital ID.

entrance to clubs, trains, events, shops, every purchase etc.

Yep.

2020 and 2021 was the warm up, the dress rehearsal. We were made to accept "checking in" when we went anywhere as a new normal.

I'm sure Tony Blair said in 1997 "I want every household to have the internet", back when it was a novelty to have the internet at home. That was step one of mission creep. He had foresight. In 2020, we saw how useful it was to the government (not to us) that almost everyone had the internet at home. Just like Trump talked about tariffs long before anyone thought he might be where he is now.

As for @youalright "Its about paranoia people seem to think everytime something new is announced the government is out to get them." Again, 2020. The year it was thrown into very sharp focus exactly how the government can utilise technology to "keep the public in line" when they see fit. We must TAKE NOTE. Remember that the man who is now prime minister had NOTHING to say against lockdown, and NOTHING to say about the harms our children suffered. His only complaint about lockdown was that it did not go far enough, and that it ever ended: in 2021, he was opposing easing any restrictions all the way. With digital ID, it might have been possible to actually prevent the public buying things they were not supposed to buy, such as Easter eggs. The govt knew most of lockdown was unenforceable, and so did the public (those who resisted the fear porn); but with digital ID, it might have been very different. I'm sure that digital ID will bring a resurgence of the phrase "new normal": new normal to check in everywhere you go, etc.

And I don't trust Farage any more with it either. He might be opposing the idea now, but he's two-faced: after all, there's no requirement for politicians in or out of government to tell the truth. As soon as it suits him, he'll back digital ID to the hilt. If Labour does introduce it, all the flak would be on them, rather than him, and whoever takes up government later can simply inherit it, oven-baked and ready, with no negative publicity at all.

We must keep talking about the negatives of this, in a way in which we were forbidden to talk about the negatives of lockdown while it was happening.

I’d happily carry a physical ID card. But I’m not keen on everyone needing to have a smartphone for every single thing .

Not bothered either way except, of course, the ridiculous expense

i have a passport
a Gov account linked to my passport
it all there on a database
taxes
health
a card isn’t really that intrusive

I think that if you have a passport or a driving licence that should be enough. OK with an ID card if you don't have one, there should be the option for it to be a physical card.

No.

1. Not everyone has a smart phone.
2. It would be to easy to hack & for someone to steal information.
3. The country cannot afford it.
4. Without sounding like the tinfoil hat brigade, no. Just no.

Maybe you could detail all the personal freedoms that people in Iceland, Belgium, Finland or Spain have lost.