The UK government is pushing ahead with plans drawn up by Tony Blair to introduce digital ID cards, but there continues to be mounting opposition to the idea and I don’t understand why. All residents in Spain have digital ID cards and since British residents have had to exchange their old green resident certificates for the digital TIE card, it has made life much easier. For example, apart from travelling out of the European Union, I have not had to carry or show my British passport for the past five years.
My TIE card takes care of everything; it’s a one-stop card. However, in the UK, critics like Big Brother Watch and Liberty argue that digital IDs create a framework for the state to monitor citizens’ daily activities, such as working, travelling, and accessing services. Opponents argue that a mandatory digital pass fundamentally shifts power toward the state, moving away from Britain’s tradition of limited state interference.
So what. Unless you have something to hide, what is the problem? If digital ID is going to make life easier and smoother why not embrace it? It is common practice across the rest of Europe. Or is that the problem, a certain percentage of the population still don’t want to be like Europe where health care and education, for example, outshine the UK?