The government must fix the flaw in its digital identity plan

[IwantToRetire]

Sir Keir Starmer has announced plans for a compulsory UK-wide digital ID scheme for the right to work.

Whatever your position on mandatory or voluntary digital identification, one thing is certain: it only has one job to do. If any digital identity system is going to work, it must enable people to prove who they are, and prevent them from falsely proving that they are someone else.
Sex Matters has been sounding the alarm about a flaw in the system since 2022: identifying individuals reliably is not compatible with allowing people to disappear from their old life in one sex and reappear with a new life and a new identity in the opposite sex.

During the passage of the Data (Use and Access) Bill, together with Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom, Sex Matters called on the government to solve the problem and explained how. It’s really not difficult: you just need to keep sex data accurate and stop letting people change their records.

Continues at https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/the-government-must-fix-the-flaw-in-its-digital-identity-plan/

Surely the issue is now, not some tedious repititious long past attempt to say sex can be both indentity and biological, but why this proposed system isn't in line with the Supreme Court ruling.

Nobody is interested in rehashing the now discredit notion of "legal sex".

To clog up a thread with this is to derail it from actually formulating a pro-active response in line with a High Court Judgement.

Maybe we should have a thread for all those who exist in a parrallel universe where the Supreme Court ruling never happened.

Or at least make it up to date which is to say what happens to the approximately 10,000 with a GRC. Should a nationwide system be slanted to make them not have to accept the reality that the Supreme Court ruling has now created.

Err I don’t think “trans broken arm syndrome” is a real illness. You seem confused

And you seem to be deliberately missing the point or just ignorant. This is an issue for women too. Health problems get blamed on something unrelated. Forcibly outing trans people in medical settings will lead to worse care because concerns won’t be taken seriously

Of course you’re right - whatever system is implemented it should be robust and correctly identify each person.

The only possible exception I can think of might be if someone is in witness protection - I don’t know what happens to them now re national insurance and nhs numbers?

Are you saying medical staff won’t be able to tell who is male and who is female? I know the NHS is struggling but come on mate.

So giving health care professionals all the relevant information before they begin treatment is a bad idea, you think?

Biological sex would be needed especially to ensure that men dont get employed in women only roles

If they can tell why do we need ID with biological sex?

Your biggest concern is trans people might be able to make use of it??

How about the fact it is happening at all?

Because some people are known to lie about their sex to get access to places they’re not supposed to be. So if you’re mad about it, take it up either way them.

Err… everyone can make use of it. It’s not just a special thing for trans people. Everyone gets one.

Puberty blockers are known to cause osteopina and osteoporosis, along with preventing growth plates from fusing properly. So broken bones in trans patients is most likely due to the medication that a trans person took as a child and/or adolescent

Obviously you can always tell so they wouldn’t get in in the first place 🙄

Like I said, take it up with them.

Who sent out the batshit signal! Own up!

Everyone in NI is already automatically a British citizen by birth, which contravenes the GFA imho (and in many legal opinions) but which remains the case, the agreement notwithstanding.

I don’t think the UK government cares much.

It could just say:

sex at birth:
gender identify if different:
all previous names used:

So no privacy for trans people?

Transpeople will get exactly the same level of privacy as everyone else. Are you saying they deserve more privacy? Why? I thought transpeople wanted to be treated exactly the same as everyone else? What extra right to privacy do you think they should have?

Sorry, moto and other posters, I strayed off the topic of the OP and I shouldn't have.

Yes, I think trans people should be free to move through life without being forcibly outed by government ID. The European Court of Human Rights agrees this is a right under article 8 and have recently reaffirmed this. I know the British government have consistently got it wrong when it comes to trans people, but they will either leave sex of the ID or use the legally compliant legal sex

You are right, we need to concentrate on now, but I’m not sure the concept of ‘legal sex’ has gone away, even with the Supreme Court ruling; is it not that the ruling clarified that the meaning of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 for the purposes of the Act means ‘biological sex’? As far as I know the Gender Recognition Act hasn’t been repealed?

Hi do you have a source for what happened in those cases? I do remember people on here speaking about them but honestly can’t find them on here or by googling. I’m not a new poster, I regularly name change.

People in witness protection get new NHS and NI numbers, they get a whole new identity

I don't think that I am the only person on this thread who is uncertain about the true purpose of the digital ID card. It is being presented as a simplified proof of the right to work and rent accommodation in the UK and eliminate the opportunity for fraud. Anybody who is a UK or CTA citizen, has settled status or Indefinite Right of Abode or has a specific work visa will qualify. No sex or gender identifier required.

The problem is that this is just a starter for 10. It is implicit that digital ID will become the individual's passport to services - both Government and third party. At this point any information held on a digital ID must be accurate. There are a wide range of Government, NGO, Third Sector and private services that are biological sex dependent. It follows that any Digital ID must reflect the biological sex of the holder. This is not something that can be retrofitted.

Sorry @FancySheepbut rest assured that a well designed system won't reveal your birth sex unless it is essential.