Digital ID’s Unavoidable Rise A constant stream of policies and headlines shows digital ID advancing worldwide, from Russia’s plan to use state biometrics for online age checks to new national rollouts. Governments across regions are moving in lockstep to fuse identity with online life. The ground is shifting beneath everyday interactions, from logging in to paying and traveling. The stakes encompass access to services, speech online, and freedom to transact.
Two Pillars Define Digital ID Digital ID hinges on two features: verifiable digital credentials—provable claims issued by trusted authorities—and functional interoperability across many contexts. Credentials can reside on phones, in the cloud, or on electronic ID cards, yet still verify against source registries. Interoperability extends a single identity into government portals, finance, social media, and more. With roughly nine in ten governments building or running such systems, evasion is increasingly unrealistic.
Public–Private Web Tightens the Net Russia’s Gosulugi portal ties single sign-on to the United System of Identification and Authentication and the National Unified Biometric System, positioning the state as universal online intermediary. The platform itself is a public‑private partnership with Rostelecom, illustrating how governments and corporations co‑manage identity rails. Banks were first compelled to collect biometrics for KYC, built their own databases, and were later forced to share them—creating the basis to issue IDs without user action. Once biometrics are linked to legal identity, mass issuance follows, as seen in Italy and Denmark, and wallet apps like the planned Max complete in‑person use cases.
Digital Public Infrastructure Builds a Control Grid Digital public infrastructure, as framed by the UNDP, stacks three layers: digital ID, digital payments such as CBDCs, and data exchange. Brazil offers a preview with its B Cadastros blockchain anchoring unique identifiers and merging records from six public agencies. Consolidated data lets sectors update a single profile, giving authorities a comprehensive, real‑time view of a person’s life. The result is less about watching than about gating participation—where a financial default, for example, ripples into other domains.
No Safe Haven, Only Variations Countries too poor to deploy full DPI still pursue electronic, biometric-backed IDs, and most others are already building digital ID stacks. The few exceptions are places most people would not choose to relocate to. As infrastructure improves, late adopters can be expected to follow the same path. The pace is rapid, with new mandates and integrations surfacing by the day.
Voluntary in Law, Mandated by Proxy in Life Laws and principles often promise voluntariness—echoing Kim Cameron’s user‑control ethos and India’s Supreme Court rulings—but network effects turn choice into coercion. Banks, telecoms, and even landlords in India routinely demand Aadhaar despite prohibitions, and harassment and service threats create de facto compulsion. Recent filing rules now require Aadhaar for income tax returns, cementing dependency. When citizens begin enforcing ID norms on one another, the system becomes mandatory without formal mandates.
Surveillance Is Secondary; Control Is the Point Centralized identity databases inevitably leak, exposing biometrics that cannot be revoked once traded on criminal markets. The deeper danger is active exclusion: throttling financial access or online participation over political views or minor offenses. A sprawling, public‑private mesh makes the chokepoints diffuse and deniable. Any realistic counterstrategy must account for both data insecurity and programmable gatekeeping.
Build Resilience Through Local Networks and Counter‑Economics Distance from DPI wherever possible by shifting energy to self‑sufficiency and in‑person trust networks. Start conversations at farmer’s markets and community hubs, trade value, and make mutual commitments not to require digital ID in exchanges. Learn alternative commerce—use cash and barter, become crypto‑literate with in‑person transactions, and keep precious metals in the toolkit. The system’s fragility shows through during disruptions like U.S. airport slowdowns under a government shutdown; creativity and entrepreneurship can outpace brittle control layers.
Reclaim Technology and Exit Big‑Tech Phones Big‑tech devices can silently install components and harvest biometrics, making forced enrollment plausible if adoption lags. Move to alternative operating systems like GrapheneOS and Linux, pair them with open‑source apps, and retain functionality without constant tracking. Become fluent in peer‑to‑peer tools, including privacy‑preserving marketplaces, to operate outside ID rails. Practical resources include a 30‑page digital ID report, a webinar on de‑googled phones and Linux, a guide to five critical phone privacy settings, and a weekly Take Back Our Tech Substack for ongoing tactics.