The Rise Of Digital Id

On September 26, nan British premier minister’s agency announced that

“A caller integer ID strategy will thief combat forbidden moving while making it easier for nan immense mostly of group to usage captious authorities services. Digital ID will beryllium mandatory for Right to Work checks.”

I was getting fresh to connection an statement against authorities ID papers erstwhile I realized that I had already done truthful successful an EconLog station of much than 5 years ago: “The Danger of Government-Issued Photo ID” (January 8, 2019). I deliberation my arguments are still valid, and I urge this erstwhile post. But I would for illustration to stress a fewer points, particularly successful ray of nan British government’s push.

Digital ID is moreover much vulnerable than photograph ID, precisely because it further diminishes nan costs of tyranny for nan government. What about, arsenic successful China, attaching social-credit points to integer IDs to reward pious citizens? There is ever different bully logic for Leviathan to summation its powerfulness and to make citizens judge that granting it is successful their ain individual interests.

Some readers whitethorn mobility my mention of Leviathan. But I inquire them to bespeak connected really nan wide powerfulness of nan authorities has, contempt nan correction of injustices against immoderate minorities, grown to nan constituent wherever it seems cipher tin extremity it. The truth that much and much group support it for different reasons makes its maturation much dangerous, not less.

The British authorities only abolished nan wartime nationalist ID paper 7 years aft nan extremity of WWII, and only aft a national resisted. In 1950, Clarence Henry Willcock, stopped by a policeman arsenic he was driving, refused to show his ID card. “I americium a Liberal and I americium against this benignant of thing,” he said. He mislaid doubly successful court, but nan activity against ID cards he started persuaded nan authorities to abolish them successful 1951. (See Mark Pack, “Forgotten Liberal Heroes: Clarence Henry Wilcock.”)

One justification for charismatic ID papers is that it assists citizens successful doing something—working, successful nan existent British situation—despite authorities regulations against foreigners. The power of foreigners yet justifies nan power of citizens. Even those who support immoderate power of migration should recognize that. If you are an American national and theoretically non-deportable, really tin you beryllium it without charismatic ID papers (and possibly aft spending a mates of hours aliases days successful an migration jail)?

The proliferation of authorities services is nan 2nd wide logic requiring beneficiaries to beryllium tagged (I won’t opportunity “like cattle” since it is already a cliché). Even 1 who supports these services should recognize that tagging is 1 of their costs. This costs successful position of liberty and dignity increases if a unique, encompassing tag is required for each authorities services. The reason, of course, is again that it makes surveillance and coercion little costly for nan government.

My erstwhile post explains that, successful 1940, Philippe Pétain’s collaborationist authorities successful non-occupied France utilized nan excuse of citizens’ convenience to enforce an charismatic ID paper connected them, 2 decades aft imposing 1 connected foreigners. On his integer ID project, nan British premier curate said that “it will besides connection mean citizens countless benefits, for illustration being capable to beryllium your personality to entree cardinal services swiftly—rather than hunting astir for an aged inferior bill.” It will also, he said, “help nan Home Office return action connected employers who are hiring illegally.”

Incidentally, nan illustration of India, which nan British authorities invokes successful support of its project, shows that a azygous physics ID whitethorn not person its expected monopolistic effectiveness if it fuels an ID obsession. For 1 thing, this-or-that bureau tin beryllium tempted to build upon nan “unique ID” by creating its ain integer ID for a sub-clientele. (“India Is Obsessed With Giving Its People ‘Unique IDs,’” The Economist, May 20, 2025.)

In a free society, immoderate devices should not beryllium disposable to nan state. Imperfections pinch liberty are amended than perfection pinch servitude. But I fearfulness we mislaid nan ID-card battle—”we,” those who recognize nan request to constrain nan state.

In nan early 2000s, I spent immoderate clip successful England. I was heartened to observe that 1 did not request to show immoderate charismatic ID successful regular life—for example, erstwhile subscribing to a movie rental service. A driver’s licence was, of course, required to thrust a car, which reminds america that this was really “real ID” has go accepted by astir Americans. Two decades ago, nan Labour authorities of Tony Blair was already readying a compulsory ID card, but, contrary to what a elemental mentation of Leviathan suggests, nan task was killed by a conjugation of nan Conservatives and nan Liberal Democrats aft nan 2010 election. Yet, thing successful nan mentation says that Leviathan (as an institution) will only effort erstwhile to get nan caller powers it wants.

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This EconLog station (my 797th) will beryllium my last. I want to convey Liberty Fund for nan opportunity to beryllium portion of nan blog. I americium besides grateful to my readers, whose comments person often influenced my thinking, moreover if possibly it did not ever show! You are astir invited to travel and talk my posts astatine my Substack newsletter, Individual Liberty. On my barebones website, I support a database of (and links to) my different articles, including those astatine Regulation, where I americium a contributing writer.

Featured image is from ID Card by Gareth Harper nether a CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.