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   The UK wants mandatory digital ID  but over one million Brits are demanding    
   to scrap the plan over privacy concerns   
      
   Date:   
   Fri, 26 Sep 2025 16:01:28 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   The petition to scrap the plan to introduce mandatory digital ID cards has   
   garnered over one million signatures so far, as critics warn of "mass   
   surveillance" risks.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   A staggering number of Brits are asking the government to refrain from   
   introducing mandatory digital ID cards.    
      
   Over one million Brits have already signed a petition asking to repeal the   
   plan in just a day, with the number of signatures growing every minute.    
      
   Speaking from a conference in London on Friday (September 26), UK Prime   
   Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the digital ID scheme will help combat   
   illegal immigration. The scheme also promises to make it easier for citizens   
   to use vital government services.    
      
   This means that, contrary to other countries that have already rolled out    
   some forms of digital ID , every adult in the UK will be required to have the   
   so-called "Brit card" to prove they have the right to live and work in the   
   country.    
      
   "We think this would be a step towards mass surveillance and digital control,   
   and that no one should be forced to register with a state-controlled ID   
   system," reads the petition, pointing out that "ID cards were scrapped in   
   2010, in our view for good reason."    
      
   The sentiment of the public echoed the concerns coming from civil societies   
   and political ranks alike. Advocates at the Big Brother Watch already deemed   
   digital ID as " Big Brother in your pocket " back in January, when the first   
   draft of the scheme was unveiled.   
      
   Can Brit cards be private and secure?    
      
   In its official announcement , the UK government ensured that the digital ID   
   scheme is "designed with best-in-class security at its core" and "credentials   
   will be stored directly on peoples own device."    
      
   The system, the government explained, uses "state-of-the-art encryption and   
   authentication technology" to keep data private and secure.    
      
   These details don't seem to be enough to convince critics, though.    
      
   According to Silkie Carlo, Director of UK-based privacy advocate group Big   
   Brother Watch, digital IDs won't do anything to stop illegal immigrants from   
   getting into the UK. But they will rather make Britain less free and safe.    
      
   "Incredibly sensitive information about each and every one of us would be   
   hoarded by the state and vulnerable to cyber attacks," Carlo wrote .    
      
   After all, the UK public system has a bad track record in keeping people's   
   data safe. In March last year, for example, a ransomware gang hacked into NHS   
   Dumfries and Galloway 's digital database and stole 3TB of identifying   
   information belonging to both staff and patients.    
      
   Then there's the Online Safety Act, which experts warn could still pose a   
   threat to strong encryption .   
      
   The Brit card scheme isn't exactly convincing the political world, either.    
      
   Former Labour MP Zarah Sultana deemed mandatory digital ID as "digital   
   checkpoints," which would lead Britons to live their daily lives in "constant   
   surveillance."    
      
   On a similar note, the leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, said that he is   
   "firmly opposed" to the proposal, arguing that "it will make no difference to   
   illegal immigration, but it will be used to control and penalise the rest of   
   us."    
      
   Critical voices even come from within Starmer's party, with Nadia Whittome   
   labeling the plan as "divisive, authoritarian nonsense."   
      
   What's next?    
      
   Parliament should be set to consider the petition for debate now that it's   
   received more than 100,000 signatures.  So, we have to wait and see what the   
   response will be.    
      
   Starmer remains confident that the plan would help crack down on illegal   
   working and promote the country's digitalization, describing digital ID as    
   "an enormous opportunity for the UK."    
      
   The government is now set to "listen to a range of views on how the service   
   will be delivered" as part of a public consultation later in the year.    
      
   If successful, the UK will join a few European nations that have already   
   rolled out their own iteration under the EU Digital Identity Wallet schem e.   
   With a big difference, though: Brits will be forced to join, no matter if    
   they wish to or not.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/the-uk-wants-mandatory-digi   
   tal-id-but-over-one-million-brits-are-demanding-to-scrap-the-plan-over-privacy   
   -concerns   
      
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