Comment by ibejoeb 2 days ago
It's all happening really quickly, so I haven't been able to keep up. I know Starmer said that digital ID will be mandatory to work in the UK. Did he mention how that would be implemented? Is the UK going to issue and official device to everyone in country, or are the people supposed to pay for it? What about homeless, poor, and the provisional residents?
As a foreign national living in the UK on a long-term visa I can only say that the decision to discontinue physical BRP (residence permit) cards in favour of eVisas is singularly idiotic and harmful. One piece of evidence being that there are still things you can only do using expired BRPs, which will be in a some kind of zombie mode until mid 2026. After that, eternal misery.
But this is basically nothing compared to what they are doing with their justice system, which mostly affects British citizens, so who am I to complain.
Digital ID isn't really an issue. Most people already have several government digital IDs (government gateway, unique taxpayer number, etc.)
They should have branded it "simplified ID" or something like that.
I'll probably get instinctive downvotes but I think it's important not to mix up the actually-fine stuff with stuff like chat control, otherwise the message becomes trivial to dismiss.
There’s a famous article by Terence Eden about the kind of devices that people are forced to use to interact with the UK Government, written with his experiences working for the government.
The devices include: A Playstation Portable. The latest stats include thousands of visits from XBox and Playstation consoles.
All modern smartphone requirements boil down to Play Integrity and iOS AppStore attestations.
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2021/01/the-unreasonable-effectiven...
Even if that were the case, by what mechanism are they commandeering it? That's essentially what I was thinking about in this India case.
Undoubtedly most people will comply, but there will be a few who don't, so I'm curious what the plan is to bring them in line.
UK isn't commandeering anything.
The UK government hasn't decided yet how digital ID will work, currently it's just a talking point. Probably it will be an app that you install, like the NHS app. Nobody is proposing that it be installed by default.
Apple separately announced that a Digital ID feature will be built into iOS[0] which the UK may use or not use.
> few who don't, so I'm curious what the plan is to bring them in line
They will be told by their employer to get it otherwise they will lose their job. Just the same as now, only at the moment you need a paper passport rather than a smartphone.
[0] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/11/apple-introduces-digi...
> Probably it will be an app that you install, like the NHS app. Nobody is proposing that it be installed by default.
Whether it comes pre-installed or not is a distinction without difference if you need it for daily life
Edit: In fact, it would be better if it came pre-installed (and be removable) because then you don't need to agree to Google's terms of service to get the APK file. You would get it straight from your OS vendor which is presumably a trusted party if you intend on using that device. (Governments are usually not so forward-thinking that they let you get the APK file from the govt website directly without needing to go through commercial entities for something as essential as a national healthcare app. That would be an even better solution...)
> Probably it will be an app that you install, like the NHS app.
You do not have to use the NHS app. There is a website version.
> Just the same as now, only at the moment you need a paper passport rather than a smartphone.
Which demonstrates how little it achieves. People already need some form of ID for lots of things (notably work and renting housing). It does not have to be a passport though.
You do not need any form of photo or biometric id to work in the UK. I have never given anything of the sort, and have worked here for decades.
All that is required is a national insurance number (equivalent of Social Security Number in US).
You don't even need a photo ID to open a bank account in the UK
> Undoubtedly most people will comply, but there will be a few who don't, so I'm curious what the plan is to bring them in line.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by non compliance? Without the ID you will have significantly worse access to services and employers. I think the pressure will be on the people, not the government, to comply.
> Is the UK going to issue and official device to everyone in country, or are the people supposed to pay for it? What about homeless, poor, and the provisional residents?
What about provisional residents? The digital ID proves identity. It is not a work authorization. Provisional residents can have a digital ID whether they work or not.