By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
CANBERRA/BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Global initiatives are accelerating to introduce a worldwide digital identification document (ID) that opponents say could eventually force billions to relinquish their privacy.
In one of the latest moves, Australia’s parliament passed legislation to roll out nationwide digital IDs by December this year. “This provides certainty for the expansion of the Australian Government Digital ID System and for providers and services to apply to join the Government’s system,” the Australian Government’s Department of Finance said.
“An economy-wide Digital ID System will provide many benefits to Australians by improving privacy and security when interacting online,” it added in a statement seen by Worthy News.
The European Union shares Australia’s optimism and goes a step further. EU leaders want European Digital Identity Wallets to be used by its nearly 450 million people by 2030.
The EU’s executive European Commission said it “welcomes the final agreement” reached “by the European Parliament and the Council” on the issue.
The Wallet “will allow users to open bank accounts, make payments and hold digital documents, such as a mobile Driving Licence, a medical prescription, a professional certificate or a travel ticket,” the Commission added in remarks obtained by Worthy News. “The Wallet will offer a user-friendly and practical alternative to online identification guaranteed by EU law.”
DIGITAL ECONOMY
The digital wallet initiative was due to be welcomed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has reportedly allocated $840 million to unfolding digital IDs to the masses.
It also participates in the Women in the Digital Economy Fund, or WiDEF, a new five-year, $60.5 million investment founded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Foundation says it wants to “tackle this stubborn digital divide” as 1.5 billion women in low- and middle-income countries lack access to the internet or use it far less frequently than men.
Yet critics say that it will lead to total control of the (world) population. “If privacy’s your thing, too bad—everything’s public, from your address right down to your license plate,” said columnist Nicole James, who published the issue for The Epoch Times newspaper.
North America may be next. “Remember Canada’s chilly response to the truckers’ protest? If governments buddy up, your bank account could go into deep freeze too.”
It’s not just larger countries and territories going digital. “Let’s pop over to Iceland. Everything there, from banking to your medical records, is linked to your digital ID,” James noticed. “No digital ID? Forget about the basics like power, phones, or even buying a home.”
ESCAPE POSSIBLE?
The columnist is skeptical about Estonia’s“e-Residency” enabling digital entrepreneurs to establish and manage an EU-based company entirely online. “These aren’t citizenships; they’re just long stays in the digital realm.
Estonia, with its prime minister eyeing the breakup of the nearby Russian Federation, might not be your top pick for a cozy hideout.”
Those seeking to escape the upcoming digital ID controls may run out of luck in the foreseeable future.
But even in sunny Greece, “you’ll have to dance to their digital tune, complete with biometric ID checks, just to buy a bit of paradise,” James complained.
She suggests asking U.S. billionaire Elon Musk “to start a bank. I’d trust my nest egg there, wouldn’t you?”
Not everyone may agree. Yet, James fears it will be challenging to opt out of the upcoming global digital IDs.“Well, perhaps there’s a corner of Slovakia where Big Brother’s gaze doesn’t reach—yet.”
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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