This is the inaugural article for the series “The Digital ID Chronicles”. This series is intended to be an ongoing series of articles covering all topics related to digital IDs and the concerns surrounding them.
Unless you have had your head buried in the sand for the past 2 years (COVID-19 pandemic), you have certainly heard about the idea of digital IDs, or at least digital vaccine passports since most parts of the world used such technology.
At the start of the pandemic, anyone who mentioned the idea of mandatory vaccines and a digital COVID-19 vaccine passport system was labelled a conspiracy theorist. And yet, as with many things over the past 2 years, the difference between conspiracy and reality is now measured in months.
The people warning us all about this were also the ones saying that the implementation of a COVID-19 vaccine passport system is simply the first (or one of the first) step towards a full digital ID and eventually a social credit system.
Many scoffed at these predictions and labelled them as outlandish conspiracies. Such systems could never be implemented in a Western democracy, what is this…China?
However, as we will discover, many provinces, states, and countries already have optional digital IDs or are working with tech companies to build the platforms.
So, what is the problem, we are moving more digital with every aspect of life as it is, why not just have every document about you as a person in one easy app on the phone in the palm of your hand? Or on a chip implanted under your skin, but let’s save that terrifying gem for a future post.
China’s Social Credit System
To understand why digital IDs are not in the best interest of those of us who cherish freedom and liberty, the things our Western democracies are reported to be founded upon, we need look no further than to China’s Social Credit System.
We all know what a credit score is. Nearly all your debt and business subscription payment transactions are used to calculate your credit score. In other words, your financial trustworthiness to receive a load or have a higher credit limit. If you don’t pay your bills on time your credit score goes down and vice versa.
The Chinese social credit score includes the above but takes it one scary step further, giving citizens a score based on general behaviours and trustworthiness. Sounds vague to me but some of the things that could negatively impact a citizen’s score include playing music too load on a train, frivolous spending on things like videos games, playing too many video games, jaywalking, traffic violations, not paying fines, etc. Such violations would lead to the loss of certain rights (which really can’t be described in this system as anything other than privileges) such as spending freedom, travel freedom, etc.
Certain violations, such as openly criticizing the government and their policies could get you blacklisted, meaning that if you don’t get arrested, you could lose the ability to buy a plane ticket, be banned from travelling some train lines, buying property, or taking out a loan.
Keep in mind this would be done immediately by the government through a citizen’s social credit digital ID that is also needed to use bank accounts…show me your papers (digital ID) style system to access any service so they know if someone is a “trustworthy citizen”. There will be no court orders, no trials, no debate, someone can be cut off until amends are made, whatever that involves?
China is already a surveillance state. Facial recognition software along with nearly 2 million CCTV cameras creates the ability to track down anyone in as little as 7 minutes! And that was 5 years ago, what can they do now? In addition, they have country wide internet firewalls and tightly control access to what information is accessible to their citizen’s.
Of course, the CCP says the system is necessary to improve many “trust” issues in the country such as food quality scandals, pollution, employees not getting paid, or citizens living in rural areas to have access to banking systems. Of course, there are certainly many ways to address those concerns without increases the CCPs surveillance and control abilities.
Simply put. If a totalitarian, communist government that already has a tight surveillance state is beginning to implement a digital ID social credit system, is this something we should even consider in Western democracies? Absolutely not!
Social Credit Systems Coming to Western Democracy?
This is the topic I will focus future articles on but make no mistake, our Western governments are taking steps closer and closer to something like a social credit system and thus, the power that comes with it.
Many countries already have a digital COVID-19 vaccine passport that could be used for many other digital ID/social credit purposes. Canada has a voluntary digital drivers license, health card, and passport; Ontario, Canada has a voluntary digital ID system; Canada is working with a tech company, the WEF, and a few other countries to create a digital international travel ID; some US states are also working towards similar systems; and the British government has implemented a health app which will monitor shopping, exercise levels, intake of fruit and vegetables, and reward people with virtue points that can be exchanged for discounts, free tickets, etc. Again, more details on this to come in future articles.
To be clear, at the moment none of the above digital ID systems are considered as fully “legal” IDs. They can be used for most services, but the original paper copies are still required for the more “official” ID requirements. However, what you use happening is citizens being conditioned to using digital ID programs so they will be more likely to accept a social credit system disguised as a digital ID.
Be Afraid of Digital IDs & Social Credit-Like Systems – Just Say No!
Make no mistake, a digital ID and/or social credit system is simply another tool for a government to take authoritarian power. You may think there are some conveniences to these systems because you trust your government and could never imagine that a Western democratic leader would use them to gain more power and control, but once these systems are put in place and widely used they will not be removed. So, you need to ask yourself can you trust your next Prime Minister or President? What about the one after that, or the one after that?
A digital ID is one more step to a social credit system and eventually a total surveillance state enabling totalitarian type governments to emerge in what was once known as Western democracy. They will take one small step at a time and by the time you are ruled by a totalitarian government, you might not even know it. You might even call it democracy without realizing your freedom and liberty is gone. Until you disagree with the government that is, then they will make sure you know you are not free.
“Even paradise could become a prison if one had enough time to take notice of the walls.”, Morgan Rhodes
Additional Sources:
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/china-social-credit-system-explained
https://www.foxnews.com/world/what-is-china-social-credit-system
https://techcrunch.com/2017/12/13/china-cctv-bbc-reporter/
https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/565860-coming-soon-americas-own-social-credit-system
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/we-need-to-act-now-to-block-britain-s-social-credit-system