Why Britain needs a digital ID system

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To some surprise elsewhere in Europe, few issues have caused as much controversy in Britain as the national identity system. Opponents have long thought ID cards were the path to an Orwellian surveillance state. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has already rejected a suggestion that the Labor government should introduce digital ID cards to control immigration. But as the UK seeks to reform and modernize broken public services despite disagreements and challenges, it would make sense to integrate a digital ID system into the plans.

Digital IDs have potential benefits far beyond legacy photo ID cards. Typically combining an all-encompassing digital identifier with personal details and biometric data, this data can be used to simplify access to public services and transact with private businesses. They can be expanded to store official documents, qualifications, membership cards and become a digital wallet. Estonia, the pioneer of “e-government” that citizens can use e-identities He estimates the system saves money on everything from ordering prescriptions to voting 2 percent of GDP one year. like other countries AustraliaSingapore and Italy It has established voluntary or mandatory digital identity programs.

An e-ID in Britain could boost civil service reform; for example, it can help integrate personal health records and patient data and organize benefit payments. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change is a think tank founded by the former prime minister (a long-time advocate of digital identity). predictions Such a scheme could boost public finances by around £2bn a year, mostly by reducing benefit fraud and improving tax collection, alongside wider economic gains. It accounts for a voluntary system that is partly built on the government’s existing – but low-profile – government. Single Entry The initiative, which would enable single sign-on for government services, could be created within one parliamentary term and 90 percent of citizens could sign up.

A functional digital ID can prevent document searches and help prevent identity theft when opening a bank account or buying a home. Supporters argue that a national ID system could also help reduce “small boat” migrants crossing the Channel. Anecdotal evidence suggests that one of the UK’s main attractions is the perception that its lack of identity cards makes it easier to get lost in the gray economy than many of its European counterparts. Requiring an e-ID to access benefits and housing could be a deterrent to undocumented immigrants and human trafficking gangs.

There are many reasons to be careful. Given the sensitivity to data privacy and the dangers of hacking and cyberattacks, it is vital that technology is used correctly. Britain has a dismal record in public sector IT; Consider the Post Office Horizon scandal. Some Labor insiders argue the digital ID scheme is too complicated and politically damaging to add to the challenge of rebuilding already overstretched and cash-strapped services. Some are hurt by the insult that condemned the post-9/11 national identity plan introduced by the Blair government in much more favorable economic times.

But there are many working systems that Britain can learn or copy elsewhere. Most utility IT is so old that it’s worth trying to move to next-generation technology, as Estonia did in the 1990s. Privacy arguments are less valid when most adults happily carry smartphones loaded with apps that can track everything from how many steps they take to what color socks they buy.

While the opposition is still vocal, YouGov polling last year found: more than half of adults in the UK support compulsory ID cards. An e-ID in the UK will require discussion and consultation. It wouldn’t be easy. But if Britain truly wants a modern state, the idea’s time has come.