‘Done right, digital ID could restore trust in the state’

Trust is the lifeblood of any modern democracy, and the foundation of every successful digital system. And so, in the case of Digital ID, Government will know that winning public trust isn’t a nice to have – it’s the central challenge. The question is how to do that in today’s political atmosphere, where confidence in institutions and technology alike can turn as quickly as a headline.

On one reading, Digital ID could be the emblem of a confident, modern, efficient state – a simple, secure way for people to prove who they are to employers or public services without endless paper trails or bureaucratic faff. It should make working people’s lives easier, not raise their eyebrows. 

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Done right, it’s the twenty-first-century equivalent of the National Insurance number – practical, invisible, and trusted. Done wrong, it’s the next Big Brother Britain headline, and the beginning of a political headache that could symbolise a politics seen as out of touch with real people.

We’ve already seen how good intentions in digital policy can be turned on their head. The Online Safety Act, earnestly designed to make the internet safer, became a lightning rod for accusations of censorship and overreach before it passed into law. That experience offers a warning. If people feel a digital reform is being done to them rather than built for them, they’ll be told it’s about control, not service – and some will believe it.

The irony is that a well-designed digital identity scheme could do precisely the opposite. It could decentralise control, giving individuals more say over their data; what’s shared, with who, and why. It could cut fraud, simplify access to services, and save everyone time and money. But that depends on people believing the system works for them. 

In the wake of unprecedented cyber incidents — from the CrowdStrike outage and major UK banking breaches to the JLR ransomware attack and the fallout of the Post Office Horizon scandal — securing public confidence must be the first deliverable for anyone shaping digital policy. Without trust, even the best-designed technology will crumble under the weight of public suspicion.

Recent BCS research underlines why that trust deficit matters. 60% of people have experienced a major system outage, 43% a data breach or privacy concern, and 45% delayed or incorrect services due to IT failures. These aren’t just minor irritations, they’re moments that shape how the public view the competence of the state. 

For most people new technology, whether it’s online hospital services or a digital ID, is about confidence, convenience, and having a choice. But when digital reform is handled clumsily, it can quickly become a dividing line. Populists thrive on the idea that government is distant, intrusive, and unaccountable. To them, every digital innovation becomes an “overreach”, every reform a threat to liberty. If Digital ID feels rushed, opaque, or top-down, there will be those eager to paint it as proof that “the elites” want to control ordinary people’s data.

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That’s why tone will matter as much as technology. The public need to hear, and believe, that this is a service to empower, not a system to surveil. Ministers and officials must speak the language of trust. Be clear about privacy safeguards, upfront about who controls the data, and humble enough to listen when concerns arise. 

They should also work closely with those who understand both the opportunities and the risks, from civil society groups to professional & industry bodies, to ensure the right standards, skills, and ethics are in place.

Handled that way, digital ID won’t just work technically; it will work politically. It can become a tool of social renewal – rebuilding confidence in the state’s ability to deliver modern, secure services, and proving that technology can serve people, not the other way around.

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The technology is ready. The public are open to it. Now it’s up to government to prove that trust isn’t an obstacle to digital progress, but the foundation of it.

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