Around 30 people protested in Newport’s St James’ Square on Saturday (18th October) against government plans to introduce a digital ID system.
The demonstration drew together Isle of Wight residents concerned about privacy, surveillance, and loss of freedoms. Protesters displayed signs and distributed leaflets, urging others to consider the implications of digital identification before it is implemented.
Many voiced fears that centralising personal data – including medical records, financial details, and location tracking – could lead to mass surveillance or government overreach. Several participants described digital IDs as a potential gateway to restricted freedoms and compulsory compliance with state systems.
Sarah Morris, a protester at the event, said:
“Whether you are for or against digital ID, you should think carefully about having all your information in one place – it has already been hacked twice.”
Digital ID systems are being developed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with the stated aim of improving how citizens prove their identity online. The government argues such systems would reduce fraud, speed up access to services, and allow people to verify themselves without physical documents.
However, critics question whether these benefits outweigh the risks. Concerns have been raised about data breaches, potential errors in identification systems, and the exclusion of people who lack access to technology. Protesters in Newport highlighted the possibility of future restrictions tied to ID compliance.
Kurtis Smith, another demonstrator, commented:
“Once they’ve linked everything together, they’ll be able to find you on a database and literally switch you off if you don’t comply.
“They will limit you to a 15 minute travel zone and stop you from buying food. The possibilities are endless.”
Although no national digital ID system is currently mandated in the UK, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has expressed interest in exploring digital identity infrastructure as part of public sector modernisation. Both Conservative and Labour figures have spoken about increasing the role of digital tools in government services, with a focus on efficiency and fraud prevention.
For many at the Newport protest, however, the issue is about more than practicality, with one protester stating:
“This system is unBritish. It’s not for us.”
Part 2 of the pantomime.
No digital ID = NO JOB
Who remembers part 1 for NHS and Care workers
no Jabs = NO JOB
Will this nightmare ever end.
We already have adequate means of checking identity when people apply for a job. Digital ID will not impede anyone who wishes to work in the grey economy as they already break employment laws. It is just another way of stripping away our privacy so the government can intrude even more into our lives.
It is not valid to use the fact that some other countries have an ID system to suggest that it would be quite OK here. To do so is to assume that our government would also apply similar integrity. That is unproven – indeed the evidence says otherwise.
Digital ID will not improve our lives in any way, it will simply be used to control us – that is the idea. State wide coercive control. It will be abused by the police because that is what they do with every new technology. DNA – abused. Facial recognition technology – abused. Policing social media – abused.
It will slowly pervade all areas of our lives. It will be used to collect data and monitor your activities. It will be linked into your social media. Every time you are asked for that ID its use will be recorded and you can be immediately denied access to that venue or service, including the NHS, if the government so chooses. It will allow the government to punish those who have opinions it does not agree with and open the door to discrimination on the basis of religion, ethnicity, social class or any other criteria the government wishes to control. It will allow the government to give preferential treatment (access) to favoured groups such as party members or those with the ‘right’ religious or political views or simply its donors and members of the political class.
Think this government wouldn’t do this? Maybe, but what about the next one or the one after that and so on. The genie will be out of the bottle and the temptation for over-reach and abuse will be irresistible.
It will cost billions of pounds to implement and service, money we don’t have, and given the government record on the security of its software, it will undoubtedly be hacked and the data stolen and used against us by criminals. Do you fancy your usage history being sold on the dark web and then being used to target and scam you? All for no advantage to yourself.
It has now been revealed that Ofcom are looking to strengthen the Online Safety Act by linking live internet streaming to Digital ID and the government is already talking about what other uses it can be put to. Remember this was first sold as a method of restricting migrant work. Now it’s for everything. That didn’t take long did it.
The online petition against ID Cards now has over 2.9 million votes.
Does anybody believe that the crims haven’t already worked out how to exploit this?
And where will HM Gov store all this sensitive data? That’s right, in “the cloud”, AKA data centres in such reliable spots as South America, Asia and, yes, USA. Does anybody know where their cloud-stored pictures actually are, or who owns the storage or where it is or who else is looking at it? No, of course you don’t.
Any government pursuing this in the current cllimate of data security needs its head feelling.