Andy Burnham’s government is considering enforcing ID checks for social media, requiring Britons to produce a passport or driving license to access sites like Facebook, X and TikTok. Commenting on the government’s plans, Maya Thomas, legal and policy officer said:
“Children deserve real online protections, not a sweeping surveillance scheme that has failed across the world and will introduce new risks to their safety.
“This is not a policy for children, but one that effects every single adult using social media in the country.
“The Government’s requirement that all of us show a passport or driving licence to open a social media account is a national ID scheme by the back door.
“It would spell the death of whistle-blower, dissident and similar anonymous accounts that enrich democracy, and severely widen the scope for invasive social media surveillance.
“The Government must urgently rethink this dangerous plan to build a sprawling, discriminatory digital ID system, and focus instead on supporting genuine child safety online.”
The Canary – Burnham’s government considers ID checks to verify age for social media