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Few issues have caused as much controversy in the UK as the National Identification System, although it has baffled other parts of Europe. Opponents have long accused ID cards of being a path to an Orwellian surveillance state. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already rejected suggestions that a Labor government should introduce digital ID cards to control immigration. But as the UK seeks to reform and modernize its broken public service despite conflict and hardship, it makes sense to incorporate a digital identity system into its plans.
Digital ID has potential benefits far beyond old photo ID cards. Comprehensive digital identifiers, typically combined with personal details and biometric data, can be used to simplify access to public services and transactions with private companies. It can be expanded to store official documents, qualifications, membership cards, or even used as a digital wallet. Estonia is a pioneer of an “electronic nation” where citizens can use the electronic nation. electronic ID From ordering prescriptions to voting, the system is estimated to save 2 percent of GDP One year. Other countries, e.g. Australia,Singapore, Italy You have a voluntary or mandatory digital identity scheme in place.
e-ID in the UK could facilitate public service reform, helping to integrate personal health records and patient data and streamline welfare payments, for example. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change is a think tank founded by the former prime minister (and long-time supporter of digital ID). estimate In addition to wide-ranging economic benefits, such a scheme could boost public finances by around £2 billion a year, mainly through reducing benefit fraud and improving tax collection. It is believed to be a voluntary system built partly on the basis of existing (but less visible) systems of government. One login An initiative to enable single sign-in to government services could be established within one term of Congress and 90% of Americans could sign in.
A functional digital ID can help prevent identity theft by eliminating the hassle of searching for documents when opening a bank account or buying a home. Supporters argue that a national identification system could also help reduce “small boat” migration across the Channel. Anecdotally, one of Britain’s main attractions is the perception that, without ID cards, it is easier to disappear into the gray economy than in many European countries. Requiring electronic ID to access benefits and housing can be a disincentive for illegal immigration and human trafficking gangs.
There are many reasons to be cautious. Considering data privacy and the risk of hacking and cyber-attacks, proper use of technology is critical. For an example of Britain’s dismal performance in public sector IT, think back to the Post Office Horizon scandal. Some Labor insiders say the digital ID plan is too complex and politically harmful to add to the challenge of rebuilding an already overstretched and underfunded service. claims. Some were scarred by the denunciation of the post-9/11 national identity project introduced by the Blair government at a time when economic conditions were far more favorable.
But there are many other working systems that the UK can learn from and emulate. Much public service IT is so outdated that it’s worth trying to make the leap to next-generation technology, as Estonia did in the 1990s. The privacy argument becomes less persuasive when most adults happily carry around smartphones packed with apps that can track everything from the number of steps they take to what color socks they buy.
Opponents remain vocal, but furthermore, last year’s YouGov poll found that more than half of UK adults support compulsory ID cards. UK e-ID requires debate and consultation. It’s not easy. But if Britain really wants a modern nation, it is an idea whose time has come.
