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Comment on Downing Street ‘exploring plan for digital ID cards’

ThePyroPython@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

They keep trying this every few years.

This ain’t going to work unless it’s sold to the public like Estonia’s X-Road:

Complete digitisation of government, using the NHS, passport application, driving, taxes, etc. to reduce cost overheads and speed up government services. It needs to be a properly implemented super app with best industry security practices. I’d even go so far as to make it open source and have UK developers who log contributions to the project get a tax rebate according to hours/lines contributed as a sort of payment.

Plus it would help sell UK digital services abroad by developing and advertising a local talent pool.

Getting the UK public to be on board with just a digital ID isn’t going to fly. Why when your driving licence/learners license or passport is already being used as an ID that people carry around, and then you have your NHS number, your national insurance number, and even a gov.uk account.

What the point of adding another one?!

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blackn1ght@feddit.uk ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

Getting the UK public to be on board with just a digital ID isn’t going to fly

They’re selling it as a tool to fight illegal immigration, so I suspect it’ll go down well with the public.

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- ThePyroPython@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Which will be met with the response “but I’m not an ‘immigrant’ why should I have to carry this ID card?!”
  
  ‘I’m not an immigrant’ is their code for “I’m white”.
  
  As much as xenophobic cunts fantasise the idea of stricter border controls and US-ICE style raids, they’re also the same cunts that complain about long queues at airport security and HATE it when an authority figure questions them or forces them to do something.
  
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echodot@feddit.uk ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
That’s the problem with the ID card idea, it doesn’t solve a problem. Obviously it proves who you are, but there are so many other documents that are already needed that also do that there’s no point.

If we got rid of driving licences and just had an ID card that everyone had, and then when you got a licence it just got added as information onto the card, then they would have a point. But that isn’t what they’re proposing, they’re proposing a second card that does the exact same job as the driving licence that I’m already required to carry.

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- guy_threepwood@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  You’re not required to carry your driving license, though. You only need to present it at a police station within 7 days of being stopped if asked.
  
  The way I could see this being useful would be a version of the driving license we already have, but with no entitlements to drive on the back for people who don’t. No other changes.
  
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  - echodot@feddit.uk ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Yes which is what I’m proposing. But that’s not what they’re talking about they’re talking about a totally separate ID card with no real reason for its existence.
    
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