[baazaa]

On a related note, they built their digital ID so that third parties could verify attributes (it's NOT just a single-service login across government + a linking ID across government services, which is how it was sold by the BBC).

They're pretty close to completely de-anonymising the internet for UK citizens. Say they introduce an Australian-style social media ban for under 16s, then requires all social media to link their accounts to digital IDs for this verification.

Naturally the only remaining loophole is if a UK citizen manages to avoid being flagged as British ever by using a VPN, so I expect they will focus on that going forwards. Keep in mind the UK already arrests and imprisons vast numbers of people for speech offences, there's no slippery-slope argument here because the UK is already at the bottom of the slope as an ultra-authoratitarian anti-speech nation.

[avianlyric]

> On a related note, they built their digital ID so that third parties could verify attributes

Isn’t that the entire point of government ID of any variety? The only reason anyone ever asks to see ID is so they can use it verify attributes of your identity, such as name and age. Otherwise what’s the point of an Identity Document, if it’s not to document something?

Digital ID has always been sold as something approximating your passport/Driver License (there is no official government ID in the UK), but digital, on your phone, and actually a government identity document. Rather than a government document that has a specific purpose (such as crossing the border or driving a car), which people pretend is government ID. Something that can cause a serious problem for people because passports and driver’s licenses aren’t free to obtain, replace or keep valid. Plus the government departments that issue them refuse to take any responsibility or liability for the accuracy or validity of the documents for any use case outside their very specific role in narrow government functions, like crossing the border, or figuring out if you’re allowed to drive a car.

The UK already has citizen SSO that stretches across all digital government services, and has had that for a decade plus now. Although it’s not really attached your identity, it’s just a unified auth system so government departments don’t end up creating their own broken auth systems instead.

[rtkwe]

> Isn’t that the entire point of government ID of any variety?

Ideally this could be done without deanonymizing accounts to service providers unless the user wants to for a 'verified' account linked to their identity publically but I don't think any digital ID system has been built that way. Imagine it acting like OAuth but instead of passing back an identity token it's just verification of age, platforms would store that which would show they had performed the age verification and could be used for other age gates if there are any.

[nine_k]

A digital ID can be better than a passport / driver license, because it can verify only specific attributes of the bearer to a third party. E.g. only the fact that you're older than 21 in a liquor store or a car rental, but not other details readily visible in a passport.

[bgbntty2]

You mentioned "on your phone". Is it only for phone OSes? A depressing "download from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store only" app? Are UK citizens required to have it?

[subscribed]

It's not a "citizen SSO", even non-residents use it when paying taxes, for self-assessment purposes.

It's Government services SSO.

And no, Digital ID wasn't sold as something like this, it has been sold as a way to prevent (?) "illegals" from working, by introducing system entirely similar to the current eVisa.

Unless you slept through all these televised discussions where Keir Starmer with a stern face explained how a wholly-digital system replacing wholly-digital system will stop these pesky immigrants from getting work (it's almost like in the current systems employers didn't have to do these checks already).

There's been SO, SO MANY lies, like that this system wi be similar to the Polish/Estonian, only these two are primarily physical documents, additionally bearing certificates that can be used to authenticate against the participating systems.

Sure, some countries ALSO have a digital form of the ID, but never advertised as a hate-whip against the others.

The primary problem with the only-electronic Certificate you call ID, is that it's supposed to be always online (never cached, like, say...... Um.....actual Digital ids or cards in the normal phones), so it can be cancelled at any point, also due to the errors of the government employees or systems.

The problem is that MANY people had a very serious problems with eVisa already, leading to being bounced off the Border Patrol or failing to prove right to rent.

Even if the idea of the ID was in general good (and I use one I really love, works wonderfully well), this government lied too many times and is forcing us to eat the frog that we've seen many times prior, is half baked and will burst in someone's face.

This idea is tainted because we're lied to and it's half-baked, and hostile in principle, not helpful.

[FridayoLeary]

Nobody asked for it. Digital ID is being introduced to help the government, not the people.

[iamacyborg]

> Keep in mind the UK already arrests and imprisons vast numbers of people for speech offences

I think you’ve been spending too much time on Twitter

[piker]

> While figures show that the total number of arrests for online posts fell to 9,700 last year, down from a record 13,800 in 2023...

https://freespeechunion.org/daily-mail-investigation-exposes...

[goalieca]

The simple threat of arrest, even if they only happen by the hundreds, is enough to have a chilling effect on free speech.

[tekla]

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/police-make-30-arr...

> Officers from 37 police forces made 12,183 arrests in 2023, the equivalent of about 33 per day. This marks an almost 58 per cent rise in arrests since before the pandemic. In 2019, forces logged 7,734 detentions.

[miohtama]

Here is House of Lords if Twitter is unreliable

https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2025-07-17/debates/F807C...

Online Communication Offence Arrests Volume 847: debated on Thursday 17 July 2025

[gmac]

I wouldn’t dismiss this so easily, the Palestine Action stuff is pretty appalling.

[cultofmetatron]

then you haven't been paying attention. the UK is in fact arresting people for all sorts of speech online. the vast majority is not a call for violence at all.

[jabedude]

How many people would you guess were arrested last year for online posts?

[sys_64738]

Or spending too much time in jail from speaking freely.

[PunchyHamster]

compared to most countries that's correct

[kubb]

Parallel realities. Over here it seems like the US is a dystopia, with how hostile their leadership is to democratic institutions and how greatly it empowers oligarchs.

They think that European countries (or commonly just "Europe") are about to arrest all citizens for criticizing politicians. "Europe" must be saved from their leftist fascist regimes. For now using propaganda. Soon militarily.

[varispeed]

Don't forget that Digital ID really has been pushed by Labour after a meeting with Larry Fink and BlackRock. This is how democracy gets bypassed by the wealthy and in functioning country it should result in the entire government going to prison. Unfortunately MI5 that is in charge of that is asleep at the wheel - probably corrupt themselves.

[TacticalCoder]

The UK is the country with the biggest yearly outflow of millionaires in the world. And the numbers are huge: there are about the same number of millionaires in the UK and in France, about 3 million. And yet there are 20x more net millionaires outflow leaving the UK than leaving France (16 000 vs 800 net outflow).

Make of that what you will but to me the net outflow is the canary in the coalmine.

The UK is headed for a dark future.

[u_sama]

Wait are you baazaa9, I love your writings and specially your analysis of bureaucracy

[nine_k]

Certainly, calling the UK "ultra-authoritarian" is incorrect. But the point about attempts of completely deanonymizing Internet access is still important.

The inability of the government to know everything about its citizens is an important check that prevents it from slipping towards illiberal, even if prosperous, system, like that in mainland China, or Singapore.

[YurgenJurgensen]

When the ratchet only goes in one direction, it doesn’t matter that each click isn’t the worst thing ever, it only matters where it’s headed.

[exasperaited]

> Keep in mind the UK already arrests and imprisons vast numbers of people for speech offences

No it fucking doesn’t.

[andyjohnson0]

> Keep in mind the UK already arrests and imprisons vast numbers of people for speech offences.

Vast? No, they really don't.

[elephant81]

How would you argue that more than one arrest is fair in a modern democracy? Can you even point to an arrest where it passes the pub test?

[oncallthrow]

Is tens of thousands vast enough for you?