Most people in the West now buy things with credit cards and constantly use their phone. These are absolutely not identity providers, but they provide far more

Most people in the West now buy things with credit cards and constantly use their phone. These are absolutely not identity providers, but they provide far more tracking in day-to-day life than an ID card would, with none of the actual benefits. ID cards only facilitate a surveillance state, when they are monitored for every purpose... mobile phones and payment cards (even loyalty cards) already provide that. UK taxes are based upon a (National Insurance) number, or at least contributions are, which is explicitly stated as 'not' being an identifier, and often has the same number used by multiple people. There seem to be many ways that identity is handled that create massive technical debt, but very few that actually try to do it correctly for the actual benefit of citizens.