Gov.uk app could lead to ‘mandatory ID scheme’, claim privacy groups

There are calls for greater transparency about the privacy implications of the e-government app plans unveiled by the technology secretary, Peter Kyle. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

A new app to hold citizens’ driving licences, passports and benefits documents risks being used as a “launchpad for a mandatory ID scheme”, privacy campaigners have claimed.

Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, last week unveiled plans for a gov.uk app and gov.uk wallet, intended to save time and hassle for millions by allowing them to carry on their phones digital versions of paper documents.