A protestor interrupted the parliamentary debate on digital IDs, chanting “the people will not comply” and demanding that MPs “listen to the people” following 3,000,000 signatures on a petition opposing the government’s plans.
Outside, campaigners from civil liberties group Big Brother Watch surrounded Parliament wearing masks of Keir Starmer’s face while holding placards of a digital ID as it would appear on your smartphone.
Silkie Carlo, director of the group, said: “Nobody’s voted for this initiative. And now we have the fourth biggest petition in British history. It’s the second biggest petition in British history that’s a non-Brexit petition, so this is something that has completely engaged and enraged the public.”
She described digital IDs as the “antithesis of privacy”, where “our phones would be turned into potentially spy phones where we carry a digital pass in order to live our everyday lives.
“This is an expansive, sprawling system that could be the beginning of a very intrusive surveillance system.
“If we live in a democracy, then the government will listen and we are hoping very much that’s the case.”
Matthew Feeney, Big Brother Watch’s advocacy manager, added: “The digital ID would house troves of personal information that could be used or mandated by government for a whole swathe of public services.
“That’s a concern for us, not just because we think it changes the relationship citizens have with the state in a very bad way, but also because it becomes an attractive target for foreign adversaries and criminal hackers.
“The current government has a very, very bad track record when it comes to keeping data safe.”
The Metro – Protestor booted out of digital ID debate shouting ‘the people will not comply’