UK Pushes for Digital ID, Age Verification on Devices

With the predictable failure of age verification, the UK government decided to double down and push for Digital ID laws at the device level.

Age verification laws are a complete and total failure. Governments were warned that they would be a complete and total failure, but those warnings were dismisses as some sort of grand conspiracy by “Big Tech” to thwart these laws. Governments then passed age verification laws on a pretty evidence free basis along with a mentality of “just believe hard enough”. Then, those laws failed anyway.

The technology was simply little more than pure fantasy that was never going to work. The technology allowed underage people through (and even allowed golden retrievers to pass age checks), people were simply accessing non-compliant websites (this while circumventing the technology using VPNs), and the extra fun thing in all of this is that all of this was little more than history repeating itself. Forget the fact that this is a scenario that experts were warning about, the situation devolved to being little more than a history lesson that government refuses to learn.

The UK, in response to this obvious failure of age verification, began floating some even crazier ideas. One was to force VPNs to adopt age verification technology. That, of course, was an absurd idea for a whole variety of reasons including the idea of ordering people to fully identify themselves in order to use a tool that can help make you more anonymous online. Another idea being floated in the UK was to just ban VPNs which, obviously, was a truly stupid idea. Between businesses needing to use VPNs and trying to ban a tool that is known for evading bans, it should go without saying what a fools errand that ultimately was going to be.

So, what is crossing the UK governments mind these days? Apparently, they are floating the idea (and weirdly appropriately given where that book took place) of going full 1984. One proposal that is being floated, and this is actually not exactly a new idea, is to push for digital ID (was reposted on TechDirt). From the EFF:

In late September, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his government’s plans to introduce a new digital ID scheme in the country to take effect before the end of the Parliament (no later than August 2029). The scheme will, according to the Prime Minister, “cut the faff” in proving people’s identities by creating a virtual ID on personal devices with information like people’s name, date of birth, nationality or residency status, and photo to verify their right to live and work in the country.

This is the latest example of a government creating a new digital system that is fundamentally incompatible with a privacy-protecting and human rights-defending democracy. This past year alone, we’ve seen federal agencies across the United States explore digital IDs to prevent fraud, the Transportation Security Administration accepting “Digital passport IDs” in Android, and states contracting with mobile driver’s license providers (mDL). And as we’ve said many times, digital ID is not for everyone and policymakers should ensure better access for people with or without a digital ID.

But instead, the UK is pushing forward with its plans to rollout digital ID in the country.

The idea is that without a Digital ID, you can’t work anywhere. With that, the government can simply keep tabs on where you are, whether in the physical world or in the digital world, at all times. They will know who you are, where you visited, and generally know what you are up to. This isn’t just a threat to the right to privacy, it is a complete evisceration of privacy altogether.

While I know there are a few out there that are going to look at this and think that there’s also the possibility that this system won’t be married with age verification, the UK government is also pushing device makers to implement nudity detection software. At the moment, the push isn’t mandatory, but supposedly, they are, for now, “nudging” device makers into this direction. From MacDailyNews:

The UK government is set to urge Apple and Google to embed advanced nudity-detection software directly into device operating systems. This proposed measure, detailed in a forthcoming Home Office strategy, would automatically block the capture, sharing, or viewing of images depicting genitalia by default, with adults required to undergo age verification—such as biometric scans or ID checks—to disable the restrictions. While stopping short of mandating these controls, the initiative highlights a shift toward proactive, device-level safeguards over broader social media bans for minors.

Chris Smyth and Anna Gross for Financial Times:
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Officials have explored making such controls a mandatory requirement for devices sold in the UK but have decided against such an approach for now, the people added.

While Apple and Google’s Android mobile operating system have developed sensitive content warnings for younger users, these can be overridden by entering a passcode.

The Home Office wants to see operating systems that prevent any nudity being displayed on screen unless the user has verified they are an adult through methods such as biometric checks or official ID.

I’ve passively worried from time to time that when these age verification laws fail, the government would double down on this stupid idea by introducing even more strict laws (notching yet another “Drew Wilson was right” moment on my belt). Despite this, I’m still stunned that this is even happening. It goes without saying that age verification was little more than a badly disguised surveillance law, but the fact that there is a supposed “first world country” actually taking things this far is just obscene.

Hopefully, UK residents are able to continue the fight against this insanity. After all, some media outlets are already pushing for other countries to implement social media age verification laws. These failed laws will only lead to the governments foolish enough to implement them to double down and implement even more extreme surveillance measures. I so don’t want to see that happen, but at this point, it’s a very real possibility.

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