this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2025
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I support your opinion that something similar already exists, and I am also interested in why it is necessary to introduce a digital ID?
But you know, there was that old comedy where people handed over all their data and decision-making to an intelligent computer, and now we see AI, and eventually this nonsense is considered normal. See what I'm getting at?.. What seems crazy today may become normal after a while.
I don't think it's necessary, but I can see some of the reasons it might be introduced
Firstly digital IDs typically come with obvious convenience benefits for the user. E.g. apparently Gen Z doesn't really carry wallets, so this means they have a way of getting ID that's better for that way of doing things. They should also be harder to forge, so hopefully can help reduce fraud and identity theft.
I'd say from a government's perspective, a digital ID program is cheaper to run and allows them to speed up access to some government services. I'd say most of the opportunities for abuse from the government come from when the ID becomes a mandatory thing, then you might get voter suppression and limitations of access to public services
Yeah like I don't want a digital ID as in for the internet, but an RFID code i can keep on my phone or put on a dongle on my keys that serves as my driver's license or passport would be nice.
It's the idea that I have to tell the government that I'd like to attend this adult establishment that I've got a beef with. And I'm not as comfortable with ID checks at bars as most people are tbh
You're gonna have to elaborate on that point. Do you think some products shouldn't be age-restricted? Do you think it should just be honor-system? Are you simply a profoundly private person and resent that another human knows your name and age?
I'm not saying it should be done away with entirely, I'm saying I don't quite like it.
It's varying degrees of all of these things depending on the situation. Idgaf if 18 year olds want to drink and when I was in a country where I didn't get carded buying beer it was kinda nice. Then there are environments like sex shops where I very much don't want minors there, but at the same time anonymity or pseudonymity would be quite preferable to giving my government ID. And I'm seeing more and more places scan IDs rather than just look at them. And while today idgaf if the bartender or grocery clerk knows I drink, I'm not quite certain I'm comfortable with the government knowing it, and in some states I'd probably be uncomfortable with the government knowing such things about me.
The increases in age restrictions and need to present ID to do more and more is ceding the right to anonymity, pseudonymity, and to keep the government out of your affairs. It may or may not be worth it, but I keep seeing people acting like we aren't giving these things up when we do this.
To some extent losing anonymity is the cost of living in a society. Owning property, the entire financial system, the entire legal system, huge portions of civizilation depend on reliable identification.
Scanning cards is fine with me as long as it's just a validity check but I can't say I trust Kroger to not build a database of spending habits, for example, so to some extent I share your discomfort. But I think it's a small concern compared to the way we use cards to pay for everything now. Cash is the king of anonymous consumption.