By Alexander J Martin, technology reporter
MPs have called for a national debate over plans in Westminster to develop a "single unique identifier" for individuals accessing government services online – an idea which has reignited concerns about digital ID cards.
Single unique identifiers (SUIs) would effectively be digital ID cards which could be used to link individuals' data across the many different databases held across Whitehall departments.
Effectively linking these databases into a single giant database remains an controversial idea due to concerns about government misuse of data and its ability to protect data from hackers.
Supporters suggest however that it would allow individuals to access the government services they need without bureaucratic delays, and will allow them to know exactly what the government is doing with their data.
In the new report on digital government published on Wednesday, MPs from the science and technology committee of parliament said the government "should facilitate a national debate" on SUIs.
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The call for a debate has been welcomed, even by those who suggest the SUI is a bad idea.
Data privacy organisation medConfidential welcomed the report for setting out a direction, noting "this is something lacking from government in recent times" before adding that "some of the details are disturbing".
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"While the Home Office may treat UK residents like cattle, numbered and tracked, that's not what is usually expected by parliament," it stated.
So, basically, all the bad parts of the ID card without the card?
— Wendy M. Grossman (@wendyg) July 10, 2019
Phil Booth, the director of medConfidential, also drew comparison between the SUIs and previous attempts to introduce mandatory identity cards in the UK.
A number of expert academics and IT professionals which Sky News spoke to agreed with this assessment.
When the coalition government was elected, its first act was to repeal one of the previous Labour government's more controversial bits of legislation: the Identity Cards Act 2006.
At the time of repealing the act, Theresa May told parliament: "The national identity card scheme represents the worst of government. It is intrusive and bullying, ineffective and expensive. It is an assault on individual liberty which does not promise a greater good."
Sky News
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