Digital IDs have repeatedly been presented by successive governments as a modern solution to streamlining access to services and combatting fraud.

In recent months they have been once again suggested as a solution, but this time to illegal immigration. Beneath the polished rhetoric lie deep concerns: are they simply another step toward government overreach? By centralising identity data, the state can gain unprecedented power to monitor and control citizens’ interactions, from healthcare to banking, raising fears of a surveillance infrastructure disguised as convenience.

Critics argue that once such systems are in place, the scope of their use will inevitably expand – mission creep that erodes privacy and civil liberties under the banner of efficiency.

The debate is not just about technology, but about trust: why do governments seem so keen to introduce them? Can citizens can rely on government promises of restraint? Are digital IDs a turning point in how much control the state exerts over everyday life?

Introduced by Dave O’Toole, retired lecturer and trade unionist.

Come and join the discussion

You are warmly invited to join us at The Telegraph, Orchard Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 3NY (behind the Central Station), for our next meeting at 7pm on Tuesday 9th December.

See here for location.