The UK is set to release their Digital ID wallet app, GOV.UK Wallet, in summer 2025. Despite implementing authentication features like biometrics and SSO, cybersecurity experts are afraid it could become a security and privacy nightmare.
Having such sensitive information stored in a single location creates a potential target for scammers and malware attacks. There are also concerns that rampant metadata collection may create another digital trail for UK residents, especially when they are utilized to make age-restricted purchases.
Linnell noted that every use of the GOV.UK Wallet will likely leave behind a “digital trail,” with user’s metadata such as the time, location and device used logged. This would create a detailed record of an individual’s movement and activities over time.
“Unlike showing a physical ID, which often leaves no trace, this approach could enable invasive surveillance, which may give the government or other entities access to information about individuals’ daily life,” Linnell said.
Perhaps we should keep our physical ID cards for now
I really hope that they will give us the choice to decide weather we want a digital id wallet or keep the physical paper, I would definitely not be happy that my ID stays on a database
You’ll have the choice at first but over the next years, or decades, it might slowly disappear.
Today, there’s already lots of places/shop in the UK where you can’t use cash any more or it is made more inconvenient. Not necessarily because of the government, but they also don’t do much to stop this trend.
Unfortunately, UK is not the only country implementing a system like this. As of now, you get the choice to stay away from this, but not sure how long it’ll last.
It is a shame because there are some interesting privacy improvements a digital ID system could theoretically have.
For instance, being able to choose what information you share interactively when you scan your ID. A common example in the US would be the option to only share your date of birth at the store when purchasing alcohol, without needing to give out your name, address, unique ID number, etc.
The problem is that it’d only work if it was done with some sort of cryptographic system that would allow you to use your ID without checking in with a server, and more importantly would allow others to scan and verify your ID without checking in with a server every time.
It’s certainly possible, but I don’t think governments are interested enough in avoiding the enticing surveillance aspects of internet-based validation to do this unfortunately
They’re all going to go along with this bullshit, we’ve got the same shit that appeared in France and the European Union wants to extend it to all its organisations, ridiculous!
i would nt be too sure about, for exaple, some people who recently got a work visa in the UK were given a biometric card of few months (til 31 December 2024), and it said that they will be electronic so no card needed), problem is that they never asked if people are okay with that, they just went with it
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