2 ms·

It sounds great until all of an individual's activity online and offline starts being tracked through it, because transactions require a single digital ID (pote

It sounds great until all of an individual's activity online and offline starts being tracked through it, because transactions require a single digital ID (potentially even accessing the internet). And then, when the government decides it doesn't like what you're doing, it's amazingly easy for them to cut off your access to essential services like banking, transportation, etc...

twosdai 8mo ago
They (any government agency) literally scan your physical ID whenever they need it. How is this materially different to a digital ID being accessed.
- tinfoilhatter 8mo ago
  Because your physical ID isn't scanned every time you access your bank account, and your bank (hopefully) doesn't check with some central database the government controls before issuing you an account. With a digital ID controlled by your government, that is required for accessing your account on the other hand... We're not talking about just governments, we're talking about the private sector having to verify a digital identity tied to your biometrics before allowing you to participate in commerce. This is a whole different ball game than having to present a physical ID before being granted access to government services. The latter is quite normal and the former is extremely dystopian.
  - bobbiechen 8mo ago
    > your bank (hopefully) doesn't check with some central database the government controls before issuing you an account. Hmm... the OFAC SDN and other sanctions lists? Politically exposed persons lists? These are very standard KYC/AML checks.
    - tinfoilhatter 8mo ago
      What about when obtaining a SIM card or internet access? What about when purchasing a bus or train or plane ticket? Do you think you should have to identify yourself with a digital ID to withdraw your own money from your own bank account? Your average citizen isn't on a sanction list or a politically exposed persons list. In a national digital ID system they will be on a list regardless of whether or not they've done anything wrong, and the government can easily block their access if they don't like what they've been doing. Governments should not have this kind of control over the lives of ordinary citizens. Not to mention the fact that NGOs like the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation are funding this. It's proof that it's more than just nation states that want to implement these digital ID systems. Why should the world bank or Bill Gates have any influence on who can and cannot withdraw their own money?

twosdai 8mo ago

They (any government agency) literally scan your physical ID whenever they need it. How is this materially different to a digital ID being accessed.

tinfoilhatter 8mo ago
Because your physical ID isn't scanned every time you access your bank account, and your bank (hopefully) doesn't check with some central database the government controls before issuing you an account. With a digital ID controlled by your government, that is required for accessing your account on the other hand... We're not talking about just governments, we're talking about the private sector having to verify a digital identity tied to your biometrics before allowing you to participate in commerce. This is a whole different ball game than having to present a physical ID before being granted access to government services. The latter is quite normal and the former is extremely dystopian.
- bobbiechen 8mo ago
  > your bank (hopefully) doesn't check with some central database the government controls before issuing you an account. Hmm... the OFAC SDN and other sanctions lists? Politically exposed persons lists? These are very standard KYC/AML checks.
  - tinfoilhatter 8mo ago
    What about when obtaining a SIM card or internet access? What about when purchasing a bus or train or plane ticket? Do you think you should have to identify yourself with a digital ID to withdraw your own money from your own bank account? Your average citizen isn't on a sanction list or a politically exposed persons list. In a national digital ID system they will be on a list regardless of whether or not they've done anything wrong, and the government can easily block their access if they don't like what they've been doing. Governments should not have this kind of control over the lives of ordinary citizens. Not to mention the fact that NGOs like the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation are funding this. It's proof that it's more than just nation states that want to implement these digital ID systems. Why should the world bank or Bill Gates have any influence on who can and cannot withdraw their own money?