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by dijksterhuis·6y ago·view on hn ↗
> Introduce a digital ID and instantly it’ll become a requirement to give your digital ID to do anything at all - register a mobile phone, a bank account, an online shop, a library, a pub ... anything

Sighs.

4/5 of these examples already require proof of identity in various circumstances.

The required identification often comes in the form of either one or a combination of a recent utility bill + driver's license and/or passport.

This can make moving house (as an example) a massive PITA -- now I need 3 documents instead of one.

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On data storage / privacy.

Pubs/bars/clubs have already trialled schemes where the provided Photo ID is stored for a certain amount of time. (I believe fabric had to do this under the terms of their new license). I've not heard of any breaches yet...?

I doubt a digital ID would be very useful in pubs as it can't be linked back to a biometric feature (your pretty face).

Online shops... Meh. Does it really matter if Tesco's knows that I prefer low fat mince to high fat?

Banks, well.... There's not much hope there. They'll use it and the game will change. C'est la vie. I'll either adapt so I can get a mortgage or I'll continue renting.

Edit: on a even deeper level, the reality is that nothing changes. Everyone has some form of UID for me (usually emails). Now it just becomes a standardised identifier across the board.

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I too have low confidence in the current government's ability to do something useful with it.