Together@Togetherdec
🔥 BREAKING: BURNHAM SCRAPS DIGITAL ID
Together welcomes new PM Burnham’s decision to scrap the national digital ID scheme - but demands further action against “backdoor” privacy risks and digital ID “by stealth”
We welcome @andyburnham’s cancellation of national digital ID plans following our year-long campaign - but grave “backdoor” privacy risks still remain across Labour’s online policy agenda.
Any expansion of the Government’s digital wallet, GOV UK app, and One Login - a centralised access system requiring citizens to hand over private data - must be strictly curtailed, or it risks becoming a “de facto” digital ID system.
Together co-founder and director, Alan Miller @alanvibe, said:
"Together has campaigned up and down the country against a national Digital ID, and we welcome today’s announcement. But our work is not done until we have ensured that connected systems such as One Login, the GOV UK App and Government Wallet cannot evolve into de facto digital ID through creeping expansion or the erosion of offline alternatives.
"British citizens must never be forced into handing over their personal rights and data to any Government, without proper consent and a robust democratic mandate. The huge public response to Labour’s national digital ID proposals illustrate that millions of people recognise the grave dangers at the heart of these plans.
"It is concerning that the Government remains committed to One Login given serious concerns surrounding data security and civil liberties, and a near-total lack of parliamentary oversight.
"Together is calling for an immediate freeze on the rollout of One Login pending an independent National Audit Office review.
"We also demand an immediate pause on One Login’s rollout or expansion until safeguards are in place. There must be parliamentary oversight, full public consent, and a firm guarantee that digital identity is never mandatory - and non-digital routes to government interactions are always protected.
"Together will continue to campaign for a Digital Bill of Rights to protect our freedoms in an ever-changing online landscape, and we welcome further dialogue with the Government over how we can achieve this. We remain firmly against plans for social media bans, age verification systems that function as identity checks, and any device-level surveillance on apps and phones in the UK."
HUGE thank you and well done to all #together members and supporters who have put enormous pressure on throughout!
