UK digital ID plans raise concerns about surveillance and control
In September this year, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his government's plans to introduce mandatory digital ID for all British citizens by 2029.
The announcement sparked fury across the full spectrum of the British political landscape, uniting forces who would otherwise disagree on pretty much everything else.
The Digital IDs plans have led to continuous protests, with thousands braving wintry weather conditions in London on Saturday, November 22, to express their opposition to the plans.
We're here to protest digital ID.
We're also here to make the point to people that they're already being tracked.
They're already being surveilled and controlled by systems beyond their knowledge or control, and this is just an extra step.
This is almost a way for the government to act like we're giving our consent for them to track us, but they're doing it anyway.
Myles, Anti-Tech Resistance
The main justification given by Starmer for the rollout of digital IDs is to help the government's crackdown on illegal migration, leading to suspicions that the so-called migrant crisis was allowed to develop so as to then justify these types of draconian measures in response.
A massive fear that many Britons have is that the digital ID plans, in combination with a rumored ban on the use of cash in the future, portends the creation of a dystopian AI-powered control grid, where every move you make is subject to surveillance and censorship by the state in real-time.
These protesters believe that enough of the country is opposed to the digital ID rollout, but that for mass non-compliance to become a realistic prospect, unity across the political spectrum is essential.
Anybody organizing anything can be controlled by this.
So we want everyone to unite in common cause as we say on our leaflet here: ‘Palestine and freedom fighters, indeed everyone, unite in common cause’.
Protestor 01
The British state has long wanted to introduce digital IDs, going as far back as when Tony Blair floated the prospect when he was Prime Minister in the 2000s.
But with mass opposition already forming, and one of the most unpopular governments in recent history at the helm, opponents are quietly confident in their chances of defeating the entire idea altogether.
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