There’s an old phrase that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” In 2025, that road is digital, scanned, jammed with CCTV, and increasingly inescapable. From Beijing to Berlin to London, and beyond, governments are rolling out digital identities that promise convenience and security, but they come at the cost of something far more profound: our freedom.

In China, the government’s new nationwide “Citizen Credit Reset” has gone fully live. Chinese citizens now need a state-issued digital ID to buy food, ride the subway, access the internet, or open social media accounts.

The measure consolidates years of fragmented surveillance systems into a seamless national database in which every transaction is tied to a unique personal identifier. What was once called the “social credit system” has become something simpler, colder, and far more efficient. In other words, no digital ID, no participation in society.

Critics call it a “point of no return,” arguing that it hardwires a level of control that no free citizen can consent to. Yet other governments, under different branding, appear to be sprinting down the same path.

Britain’s contested digital identities plan

In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a compulsory digital identities scheme as central to his immigration and national security agenda. Citizens without a government-issued ID will simply “not be able to work in the United Kingdom.” The system, projected to be mandatory by 2029, will store personal and citizenship data on mobile devices and require digital credentials for employment, taxes, and eventually access to public services.

Civil liberties groups like Big Brother Watch describe it as a “checkpoint society.” And they’re not wrong to worry. Once tied to identity verification, it’s a short step to conditioning access to food, healthcare, or transport. Chinese citi

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Author: Christina Comben