The Labour government in the United Kingdom is moving ahead with a sweeping plan to require every working citizen to carry a digital ID card — the “BritCard.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer pitched the initiative as a solution to illegal immigration and bureaucratic inefficiency, but critics argue it is nothing less than the foundation for a national government surveillance system.
A digital ID is a government-linked identity system designed to consolidate personal information, from banking and shopping data to health and vaccination records, into one centralized account. Unlike a physical driver’s license or passport that you keep in your wallet and control yourself, a digital ID exists online – stored in databases or apps that can be monitored, updated, or restricted by outside authorities like a national government.
Proponents say digital ID is more convenient and will reduce fraud, streamline access to public services, and modernize border enforcement. But critics warn it gives governments and corporations unprecedented power to track your movements, purchases, and even beliefs under the guise of “security” and “efficiency.”
In a recent post on X, independent journalist Michael Shellenberger laid out the alarming implications of digital ID for personal privacy – and why Britain’s move toward digital ID is likely a test run for rolling out the same policy the United States.
As he revealed, former Prime Minister Tony Blair has lobbied heavily for digital ID through the Tony Blair Institute, a shadowy nonprofit he controls. That effort has been backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from Oracle founder Larry Ellison. Billionaire Bill Gates has likewise promoted centralized data systems as essential for public health and governance.
But what may seem like a European experiment is already creeping into the United States.
The Real ID Act, passed after 9/11, embeds microchips in driver’s licenses. Mobile driver’s licenses, introduced in states like California, allow Apple and Google wallets to store state IDs — a direct step toward a universal digital ID. Provisions buried in the Biden administration’s pandemic treaty negotiations with the World Health Organization also point toward the same model of a centralized, government-linked ID that could combine health records, financial data, and online activity under one account that the government has direct access to.
Far from protecting privacy, centralization makes citizens more vulnerable. Unlike today’s decentralized system, where a stolen credit card number does not expose medical records or social media accounts, a universal digital ID could function as a master key to unlock every corner of a person’s life. One breach would mean total compromise.
Civil liberties advocates also point out that once such a system exists, the temptation for governments to use it for censorship and social control will be overwhelming. A digital ID linking online accounts, banking, and healthcare would allow authorities to deny access to services, lock individuals out of financial transactions, or silence dissenters with the push of a button.
If Britain’s Labour government expected voters to embrace the BritCard, early signs suggest otherwise. A recent YouGov poll found Britons split on digital IDs, with 45 percent opposed and just 42 percent in favor.
Even the polling used to justify Starmer’s plan has come under fire. Surveys commissioned by the Tony Blair Institute framed digital IDs as convenient “apps” and clearly primed respondents by asking how often they felt inconvenienced without one.
Among those who stand to gain from digital IDs are corporations like Ellison’s Oracle, set to collect billions in contracts and transaction fees. From this perspective, digital ID looks less like public service and more like a collusion scheme where Big Tech gets even richer and the government gets even more control over the lives of everyday people.
Across the European Union, similar digital ID pilot programs are being pitched as solutions to border control problems and government efficiency, and biometric surveillance is becoming routine. Beginning October 12, the EU will roll out a new Entry/Exit System requiring travelers, including Americans, to provide fingerprints and facial scans upon arrival in 29 countries.
Officials say the policy will modernize border checks and curb overstays, but in practice it normalizes the collection and storage of sensitive personal data. What begins as a measure to track visitors’ movements can just as easily evolve into a broader system of digital monitoring.
For those still on the fence about digital ID, just consider that European governments are essentially copying the model pioneered by Communist China. In July, Beijing enacted a sweeping “Internet ID” law permitting citizens to register through a government app with names and facial scans. Each user is then issued a unique code that links to every online account.
The system is officially voluntary, but Chinese authorities are already pressuring e-commerce platforms, banks, and social media companies to integrate Internet ID, making it functionally mandatory.
Paired with China’s social credit system, the new ID could enable the state to reward “good behavior” with easier travel or school access, while penalizing those deemed “untrustworthy” by restricting loans, public employment, or train and flight access. In many local implementations, “untrustworthy” behavior includes administrative or civil infractions rather than criminal acts, giving officials broad latitude over who qualifies as “honest” or “faithful.”
Europe is marching toward China’s system of control, and the U.S. is not far behind. Digital IDs may be marketed as efficient and secure, but they are the framework for an anti-liberty surveillance state.
Sarah Katherine Sisk is a proud Hillsdale College alumna and a master’s student in economics at George Mason University. You can follow her on X @SKSisk76.
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