SNP says digital ID will be boon for 'authoritarian' governments

SNP MP Pete Wishart warned that digital ID could be misused by governments with "authoritarian tendencies" as he led a debate on the issue at Westminster.

The debate focused on the controversial implementation of digital ID by the UK Labour Government, announced last month.  

“It's taken 20 years, but ID cards are back,” said Wishart. “This time in a shiny new digital format, turbocharged by all the new modern features and technology.” 

The SNP has rejected the idea of ID cards, with First Minister John Swinney calling the scheme an “attack on liberty” and promising to use devolved powers to block its implementation in Scotland.  

The scheme has faced criticism over concerns about invasions of privacy and the potential for data leaks that could put citizens’ information in the hands of criminals. The policy has also faced pushback on the mandatory use of a digital ID card to prove that people have the legal right to work in the UK. 

“Once this type of infrastructure exists, it very rarely stays confined to its original purpose,” said Wishart. “The government says that the police won’t be able to demand to see a person's digital ID, but can anyone seriously believe that that won’t change over time?” 

He added: “We're not just empowering this Labour government - we're empowering every government that will come after it. Can you just imagine the sight of Prime Minister Farage with the data of the nation at his fingertips, with all of his authoritarian tendencies - it scares me half to death and it should scare the whole of the House."

The policy was defended by former Secretary of State for Scotland and current minister for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, Ian Murray. Murray accused Wishart of making claims that were not "factually accurate".

He said: “It's really important and there’s a real task for us all to do as custodians of democracy to have this debate from the perspective of the facts that are out there and not to peddle myths. We have a real responsibility to have these debates with the facts and not what we read on social media.” 

Murray then went on to say that digital ID would not be mandatory, acting more like a passport where to fly you would need one but there is no mandatory requirement to own one. 

Murray also said that the card would be used to “modernise” government and “reconnect” citizens with government to bring the country into the “digital age”.