Tag: Digital IDs

Government Commits to Digital IDs

Keir Starmer has announced that the Government will push ahead with a digital identity scheme. He says everyone will need a digital id if they wish to be employed.

It does not worry me as I have multiple forms of digital identity already including some held by government bodies.

The oddity is that everyone who is employed already needs a National Insurance number so that tax can be collected so in theory you can’t get a job without one. But in practice this is not enforced or it is trivial to obtain an NI number if you don’t already have one. So what will change in future?

Without enforcement no system will stop illegal immigration.

As someone who is long retired I presumably won’t legally be required to obtain a digital ID. But this is a very academic issue because I already have an HMRC identity for tax purposes. Hopefully I will just be able to convert this to the new system.   

Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://x.com/RogerWLawson  )

Digital IDs and VPNs – Do We Need Them?

The FT and other media have reported that the Prime Minister is planning to bring in digital IDs. It is hoped that this will help to reduce illegal migration. Everyone in the UK would need to have a passport or other digitised identity document.

Reportedly a Government spokesperson said “We are committed to using tech to make it easier for people to interact with the state, learning from other countries on how best to deliver this for citizens”. The UK is one of the few countries that does not have a secure digital ID scheme. Most of Europe does for example.

There will undoubtedly be strong opposition to such a scheme from a minority of the population who are paranoid about concealing or protecting their identity. But what’s my view? I think it is time to introduce digital IDs. They would help to prevent identity theft and fraud and we already have numerous forms of digital identity held by different organisations, including the Government. Having a unified system would assist immigration and law enforcement operations and protect my personal identification.

A related issue that has arisen recently is the use of VPNs (virtual private network software) to conceal your digital IDs on the internet. This is not something new – I have had some VPN software on my laptop for over 10 years to hide my id when using it in a public place such as a hotel. It prevents interception of my emails and web browsing data.

There is a petition on change.org that supports the use of VPNs – see https://www.change.org/p/protect-the-right-to-use-vpns-in-the-uk?

And this quote is in it from Tom Wiersma: “VPNs are the only way in which data to and from my systems becomes more difficult to hack. That data may contain financial, health or other private data which no one has the right to access. VPNs essentially make my on-line activity safe.”

It would be a shame if the Government tried to ban or restrict the use of VPNs.

Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://x.com/RogerWLawson  )

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Digital IDs – Do We Need Them?

The Government is consulting on the creation of a centralised digital ID gateway to online public services. The idea is that people will only have to provide the details needed to, for example, renew their passport, once. From then on all the public authorities they deal with will know who they are because the data initially submitted will be visible to all of them.

But there is a very long list of public bodies who will be able to share the data. The long list of public bodies that will have access to personal information can be found at the end of the consultation documents under Annex 4. It includes HM Revenue and Customs, the Land Registry, the Disclosure and Barring Service, the Home Office, departments for Work and Pensions, Justice, Education, Levelling Up, all Councils and the major regional authorities.

Potentially enormous numbers of people will have access to the information which is surely a potential security risk.

This consultation closes on the 1st March so you need to respond quickly if you have an interest in this matter. Click on the link below for more information and to respond.

Government consultation: https://tinyurl.com/mrtrefzk

Comment: The creation of digital IDs for all UK citizens has many advantages and if properly done might actually improve security. But the proposed legislation appears to enable data sharing much too widely and without adequate protections.

Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://twitter.com/RogerWLawson )

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