Governments Are Pushing Digital IDs. Are You Ready To Be Tracked?
Proponents say such IDs will make life easier and protect kids from dangerous content. But opponents worry they will make you much easier to target.
Politicians push government IDs.
In a TSA announcement, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem sternly warns, "You will need a REAL ID to travel by air or visit federal buildings."
European politicians go much further, reports Stossel TV producer Kristin Tokarev.
They're pushing government-mandated digital IDs that tie your identity to nearly everything you do.
Spain's prime minister promises "an end to anonymity" on social media!
Britain's prime minister warns, "You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID."
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands enthusiastically told the World Economic Forum that digital IDs are good for knowing "who actually got a vaccination or not."
Many American tech leaders also like digital IDs.
The second richest man in the world, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, says, "Citizens will be on their best behavior because we're constantly recording and reporting everything."
That's a good thing?
"That is a recipe for disaster and totalitarianism," says privacy specialist Naomi Brockwell. "Privacy is not about hiding. It's about an individual's right to decide for themselves who gets access to their data. A digital ID will strip individuals of that choice."
"I already have a government-issued ID," says Tokarev. "Why is a digital one worse?"
"It connects everything," says Brockwell. "Your financial decisions, social media posts, your likes, things that you're watching, places you're going. You won't be able to voice things anonymously online anymore. Everything you say will be tied back to who you are."
Digital ID backers say the new ID will make life easier.
"You can access your own money, make payments so much more easily," says the U.K.'s prime minister.
Yes, says Brockwell, "until those services start saying, 'No, you can't use our system.'"
Even without a digital ID, Canada froze the bank accounts of truckers who protested COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
With a digital ID, politicians could do that much more easily.
"You're essentially putting a giant target on every aspect of your life," warns Brockwell, "wrapping it up in a nice bow and saying, 'Here, if you want to control me, just untie this.'"
In the U.S., many states are passing age verification laws that require you to identify yourself and prove your age before accessing certain websites.
Proponents say this will protect kids from dangerous content.
"Unfortunately, politicians just can't promise that it will only ever be used for that," says Brockwell. "You always have governments with these great-sounding bills called the 'Let's-Stop-All-the-Bad-People
China does that.
People with low social credit scores may be denied entry into schools or find they cannot buy a train ticket.
"It makes you super easy to target," says Brockwell, "easy to silence if suddenly you become 'problematic.' Whoever controls that data has a lot of power. We're simply handing it to them. People need to be aware that they have no control over who will get access to this tool and who will control this tool in the future."
Tokarev points out that companies like Facebook, Google, and Chase Bank already have her data. "Shouldn't I trust my government more?"
"Governments, unlike companies, can throw you in jail," Brockwell replies.
"This is America," says Tokarev. "We're not going to become China."
"We are skyrocketing towards that direction," insists Brockwell. "The surveillance infrastructure we're trying to put in place in the United States is heading directly towards where China currently is."
What can we do about it?
"People need to be reminded that they're empowered to actually affect that change," says Brockwell. "They can reach out to representatives; they can push back. Protect themselves and not build this infrastructure in the first place."
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