Digital IDs are coming, whether you like it or not

In the waning months of its administration, the Biden regime is pushing for a digital identity revolution.

The Biden administration is reportedly preparing to launch an initiative that could significantly alter the way Americans prove their identities. A draft executive order, which has been reviewed by journalists from Notus (a new, Washington DC-based publication), would push for the widespread adoption of mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) and other forms of digital identification.

If implemented, this would mark a fundamental shift in how citizens interact with government and private sector services online — everything from how you access public benefits to how you verify your age before viewing adult-only content online.

The party line is that we need digital IDs because the government incurred staggering losses as a result of fraudulent claims during the pandemic. Over $100 billion was reportedly lost to unscrupulous unemployment claims between March 2020 and March 2023. Rather than understanding that government had failed in its duty to properly vet claimaints, the Biden administration would rather have us believe these failures highlight vulnerabilities in current identity verification systems such as physical driver’s licenses, which have proven easy to forge. The rise of AI-driven “deep fake” technology just makes matters worse.

They say digital IDs, supported by biometric technologies like facial recognition, are a robust solution. By moving identity documents onto smartphones, the government hopes to create a more secure and efficient way for Americans to verify their identities when accessing both public and private services online.

According to the draft of the executive order obtained by Notus, the Biden administration intends to "strongly encourage the use of digital identity documents" across federal and state levels. The order would mandate federal agencies to adopt a unified identity verification system, Login.gov, as the primary gateway for accessing federal websites. This system would also be made available to state and local governments for integration into their services.

The draft order also proposes grant money to help states develop compliant digital driver’s license programs and other digital ID technologies. These digital IDs would serve as a means of verifying identity and also for age verification on websites without sharing sensitive personal information. For instance, a digital ID could confirm whether a user is over 18 or 21 without revealing their name, date of birth, or other biographical details.

The proposal has sparked significant concern among privacy activists and civil libertarians. Critics worry that the widespread adoption of digital IDs could lead to increased government surveillance and data collection, particularly as the private sector begins to demand identity verification for a broader range of online activities. The potential for digital IDs to be used for tracking individuals across the web has raised alarms about the erosion of anonymity and privacy in the digital age.

Speaking to Notus, Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, expressed cautious optimism about the privacy safeguards included in the draft order. However, he also warned that the private sector's use of digital identity systems could lead to unnecessary and intrusive demands for identity verification. "The private sector is going to start demanding identity presentations left and right — even when it’s not necessary," Stanley said.

One of the key debates surrounding the executive order has been whether to adopt Login.gov, a government-run identity system, or allow private sector alternatives like ID.me to continue playing a role in identity verification. Login.gov has faced reliability and security questions since its launch in 2017, while ID.me has been criticized for its use of facial recognition software and its role as a private entity managing access to government services.

The draft order reportedly does not ban private sector solutions like ID.me but mandates that all government websites offer citizens the option of using Login.gov or another government-run system. This compromise reflects the administration's attempt to balance security and privacy concerns with the need for a reliable and widely accepted identity verification system.

In the coming months, the Biden administration will have to navigate competing concerns as it moves forward with its plans for a digital identity revolution. Whether Americans are ready for this shift remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: digital IDs are coming, like it or not. For those citizens who are still liberty- and privacy-minded, the question then becomes: how can one resist what is surely the most important last steps towards implementing a social credit system to control our lives?

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