UK Faces Growing Opposition to Digital ID Plans Amidst AWS Cloud Spending
London,UK – december 6,2023 – A proposed national digital ID system in the UK is facing mounting criticism from civil society groups,the public,and privacy advocates,despite notable government investment in cloud infrastructure from U.S.-based tech companies like amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft. Concerns center on data security, potential for state overreach, and the marginalization of vulnerable populations.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is slated to be involved in the delivery of digital ID, and is already a client of AWS. Recent government spending reveals ample investment in cloud services: AWS secured £894 million across three contracts on a single day, while the One Government Value Agreement (OGVA) – established in 2020 to provide discounted cloud services – remains active. Critics emphasize the need to ensure any collected data is not stored or shared with third parties, notably through these cloud agreements.
A petition against mandatory digital ID has garnered nearly 3 million signatures, and will be debated by politicians on December 8th. organizations like big Brother Watch, open Rights Group, and Amnesty UK have voiced strong opposition, arguing that a centralized database-backed identification system creates a power imbalance and risks compromising essential rights.
Opponents argue that digital ID schemes function not simply as verification tools, but as gatekeepers to essential services. They contend that relying on government assurances regarding data protection is insufficient.
Citizens in the UK are urged to contact their Members of Parliament to oppose the digital ID plans. Advocates maintain that the case for digital identification has not been adequately justified and call on the government to abandon the initiative.
