Is John Swinney’s new age verification app the first step towards digital ID?

First Minister John Swinney’s recent announcement of a weather alert and age verification app might not seem like the start of another digital ID debate.

But the announcement of this app, scheduled to be released in 2026 and designed to take Scotland's public services into the digital era, has raised questions over how it will work.

“Scotland is ready to enter a new phase of digital innovation and become a digital-first nation,” said Swinney. “While the corporate world has led the way in making our lives easier through digital technology, my ambition is for digital delivery in the public sector to match the very best of the private sector, in a way that is inclusive for all."

To achieve this ambitious goal of becoming a “digital-first” nation, Swinney says that the new app will provide alerts on weather and travel disruption, followed by digital proof of age features. None of this seems particularly revolutionary, but what has caused equal parts concern and excitement is the “further functionality” that the Scottish Government says will be expanded over time.  

So, what could the goal of further functionality be?  

According to Scottish Labour and the Scottish Liberal Democrats, it could mean the introduction of digital IDs in Scotland, something Swinney has opposed in the past, calling the idea of a mandatory digital ID card an “infringement” on people’s rights.

“It’s good to see Analogue John and the SNP have changed their mind and are now willing to recognise the potential benefits of digital ID,” said Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie.

Scottish Labour support the UK Labour Government’s recent announcement that digital IDs could be in the works, despite a large amount of political and public pushback on the proposed scheme. A petition titled “Do not introduce Digital ID cards” has almost three million signatures on the UK parliament's official petition website.  

Swinney and the SNP have long opposed mandatory digital ID, with MP Pete Wishart leading a debate in Westminster on the idea, where he highlighted fears that Reform leader Nigel Farage “with all of his authoritarian tendencies” could misuse the technology should he ever become prime minister.

The proposed scheme is intended to make it easier to apply for government and private sector services, such as helping renters to quickly prove their identity to landlords. The system will be stored on your phone and will include details about your name, age and place of birth. The UK Government hopes that these IDs will be instrumental in improving access to welfare and other benefits as identity and therefore eligibility will be easily confirmed.  

“The SNP loudly declared their opposition to the UK Government’s Digital ID scheme, so it is very interesting that they seem to be ushering in a scheme of their own,” said Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton. “Liberal Democrats have a long and proud history of defending civil liberties against government overreach, from the SNP's super ID database to Labour's Digital ID cards. We'll be drilling down into these latest plans."

To see why Baillie and Cole-Hamilton think that this new app could be a stepping stone towards digital IDs, we need only look across the North Sea to Denmark.

In 2007, the Danish government launched a Digital Post system, ensuring that nearly all communication between public services and citizens was conducted virtually. This system was then made mandatory for all public services and businesses in 2014, eliminating the need for physical letter delivery in the country.

Danish technology firm Netcompany have been contracted by the Scottish Government to deliver the new app, based on the same AMI platform that they used to develop the Digital Post system in Denmark.  

Citizens in Denmark log into the Digital Post system using their digital IDs, hence Baillie’s support and Cole-Hamilton's concern. Users are then able to see a wide range of official communications, including hospital appointments, pension statements, tax notices and educational support information. It also allows users to interact with public services by paying bills and booking appointments through one portal.

“Today, I don't think you will find many Danes that don’t see this as a huge advantage in how they interact with the government,” said Thomas Rysgaard Christiansen, a partner at Netcompany. “Citizens have really taken this and are using it on average with the ID that’s attached to it, around 17 times a month.”

The system has been so effective in Denmark that the national postal service, PostNord, is scheduled to stop its traditional letter delivery service at the end of 2025, shifting its focus to parcel delivery due to a significant drop in physical letters being posted. Only five per cent of citizens opt out of receiving their post through the Digital Post system. Christiansen says that those who opt out are usually older than 85 and generally struggle to use the technology.

“You have all your critical communication in one place, so you don't have to struggle around trying to look for something,” said Christiansen. “It is an advantage in digital inclusion because my parents can give me consent and I can help them manage their digital interaction with government. But there are many other aspects of this that actually makes it useful. For example, if a person dies the courts can give the mailbox access to a lawyer.”

There is no indication from the Scottish Government that the system will incorporate a digital ID system at any stage, but the use of digital ID is an essential component of the Danish system. In Denmark, 97 per cent of the population are enrolled in the country’s digital ID scheme, which is essential to access the Digital Post system.  

“It has become an absolute key infrastructure in Denmark for all communication,” says Christiansen. “But what we are also seeing is a lot of the communication between government departments is now taking place on the infrastructure. Because there's a lot of cases with citizens and companies that is not just one agency, it's many agencies so you can now use this infrastructure to pass on information or help the process to really move much quicker.”

In 2023 the Scottish Government launched the Scot Account system, which has faced criticism from MSPs, who have accused the Scottish Government of using it to introduce digital IDs. Swinney defended it by saying that the two systems - the Scottish scheme and the proposed UK scheme - were  “fundamentally different” in approach.

The Scot Account system allows users to use one account to sign in to a variety of public services and verify their personal information. It is unclear whether the newly launched app will integrate with the Scot Account system.

“I think there is a fundamental point of difference here, which is about the opportunity for access to public services through digital means if individuals wish to do so,” Swinney said during a recent FMQs, defending a similar system that was planned in 2021. “That is fundamentally different from the mandatory proposition that is being advanced by the United Kingdom Government.”

Swinney’s stated goal when launching the new app was to harness data-sharing to help “improve services and benefit lives” across all areas of the public sector. By building this “technical foundation”, he hopes that it will develop new ways to “grow the economy” and “end child poverty” while improving public services and also tackling the climate emergency. Lofty goals indeed.

But to launch an app that copies the Danish one in Scotland without the seemingly crucial aspect of a unified online identity system would leave these lofty goals firmly untouched. It would likely limit its use and create a system where multiple logins are needed within one app to access services that were intended to be streamlined, defeating the point of launching an app like this in the first place.  

When asked for comment on the potential of the app requiring a digital ID function, a spokesperson for the Scottish Government said:

“The Scottish Government is opposed to the introduction of any card or digital ID scheme that is mandatory or compulsory to have, for any purpose, or for access to public services.”