AlisonW โ™ฟ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆโ™พ๏ธSep 25, 2025

ID cards are bad. Very bad.

1. Once they exist it will become necessary to always carry it. If you don't you must have something to hide, etc.
2. They can't stop people working in the 'black economy' because people currently employing those working for cash don't care.
3. It is another attack on trans and NB people (very unlikely someone would be allowed to have multiple IDs)
4. Massive data loss of personal information is highly likely.
5. Who pays? Why should they?
6. Police state becomes more likely with having your ID inspected whenever a copper wants to harass someone, especially POC.
7. OTHER OPTIONS ALREADY EXIST!

ID cards are a very bad, very dangerous, very expensive, and very risky idea.

ps I'm not a 'Brit'. I'm British, or more specifically English!
#IDcards #PoliceStateUK #BritCard

Show threadEdzillaSep 25, 2025
@AlisonW
I'm curious, as a Belgian with a mandatory ID card (and French, same situation), it's never felt like such a huge issue.
You can get your gender changed fairly easily and it is reflected on the ID card. and it makes identifying with online government services much easier. (think taxes, unemployment benefits, etc)
It has zero impact on taxes avoidance or anything like that but at least in Belgium it was never meant to so that's ok.
Show threadCFySep 25, 2025

@edzilla @AlisonW

Same curiosity from a German perspective here - it is not mandatory to carry the ID card, but easy to do and good if you need proof of ID or proof of address (e.g. picking up a parcel, opening an account...)
Having lived in the UK for many years, I know that the driving licence is used there for the same purpose, but I find it discriminatory against people who don't have one. Never understood why the British are so against IDs.

Show threadCFySep 25, 2025
@edzilla @AlisonW
Also just checked: the German ID card doesn't specify gender - so why would you need multiple if you're trans / NB?
Show threadJon PENNYCOOKSep 25, 2025
@cfy @edzilla @AlisonW I can imagine the British Government not learning any lessons from Germany - they will probably have too much sensitive information on the card/app itself, and make it really difficult to change anything.
Show threadTim Ward โญ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ”ถ #FBPESep 25, 2025

@jonpsp @cfy @edzilla @AlisonW The two problems with any "ID card" are

(1) It opens the door to a police state, the moment the government decides that you can be stopped on the street and arrested for failing to "produce your papers". (Like happened to me in France.)

(2) It's a one stop shop for identity thieves. At the moment to assume my identity and completely fuck up all aspects of my life someone would have to break into multiple systems: with an ID card that reduces to just one.

Show threadlibUnderseaMonkey.so ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บSep 26, 2025

@TimWardCam @jonpsp @cfy @edzilla @AlisonW

3) It's inevitably going to result not just in identity theft but personal data leakage. Got information about you that your employer/bank/insurer/etc isn't supposed to access and act on? Exactly how strong do you think those virtual guardrails are going to be?

Show threadEdzillaSep 26, 2025
@underseamonkey
Again, why? The government already has all this information in a database somewhere, there's no reason for it to be any more or less secure. And if your employer/insurer requires a proof of ID, using a certificate based one rather than a utilities bill LOWERS the risk of ID theft, it does not increase it
@TimWardCam @jonpsp @cfy @AlisonW
Show threadlibUnderseaMonkey.so ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บSep 26, 2025
@edzilla @TimWardCam @jonpsp @cfy @AlisonW No, all that information is in a variety of places, dependent upon need and right to know. Focusing it in on a single data lake is asking for trouble.
Show threadEdzillaSep 26, 2025
@underseamonkey @TimWardCam @jonpsp @cfy @AlisonW Why would it need to be in a single place? It's not required to make an ID card, either physical or digital. My belgian card is a physical card with a certificate signed by the state's certificate authority. There is no overarching database with everything about me in it.
That certificate can then be used to authenticate to the online taxes portal, the online benefits portal.
The chip on the card only contains the exact same things printed on it
Show thread๐Ÿ”ถMark Nicoll 3.5%๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ณSep 26, 2025
@edzilla @underseamonkey @TimWardCam @jonpsp @cfy @AlisonW
best case senario the British government is going to pay a private company to run this. That company will not have serious oversight. The company will keep offering to collect more and more data in the name of "efficiency". They will under invest in security and safety and make sure the tax payer is left to bail them ou for fixing problems caused by their lack of investment. Because that's how we do things in the UK.
1/2
Show thread๐Ÿ”ถMark Nicoll 3.5%๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ณSep 26, 2025
@edzilla @underseamonkey @TimWardCam @jonpsp @cfy @AlisonW
Worst case senario Reform get elected next GE and use it to track and persecute minorities and anyone who disagrees with them.
2/2.
Show threadEdzillaSep 26, 2025
@duckwhistle
Again, why would they need an ID card for that? Any government would already have that information.
You are already required to prove your identity in some situations, right? How do you do it currently?
@underseamonkey @TimWardCam @jonpsp @cfy @AlisonW
Show threadlibUnderseaMonkey.so ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บSep 26, 2025
@edzilla @duckwhistle @TimWardCam @jonpsp @cfy @AlisonW Passport, driving license, two forms of utility bill, take your pick...
Show threadTim Ward โญ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ”ถ #FBPE
@underseamonkey @edzilla @duckwhistle @jonpsp @cfy @AlisonW Today, it was knowing the address where my parents used to live. But that's Aviva for you.
Sep 26, 2025 at 4:03pmWeb