The U.K. may be about to get even more dystopian. Prime Minister Keir Starmer proposed a plan last week that would require every adult in the United Kingdom to have a digital ID in order to work in the country, with these IDs becoming mandatory by 2029. Employers would be required to consult an app-based system containing a person's name, photo, birth date, nationality, and residency status, rather than check physical IDs or National Insurance numbers (the U.K.'s version of a Social Security number) before hiring.
"The proposals are the government's latest bid to tackle illegal immigration, with the new ID being a form of proof of a citizen's right to live and work in the UK," reports Sky News. "The so-called 'Brit card' will be subject to a consultation and would require legislation to be passed, before being rolled out."
In the U.K. and the U.S., authorities already employ an array of government-issued identification mechanisms—passports, physical driver's licenses, Social Security or National Insurance numbers. So how different could a digital ID be?
