I must admit: I forget more passwords than I can count. I cannot remember my brother’s birthday, nor that of his wife. Occasionally, I lose track of other important dates if they fall outside my monthly routines. Yet my iPhone remembers everything—two days in advance. It reminds me when bills are due, tracks my menstrual cycle, knows my account balances, and even monitors my spending via Apple Wallet. The paradox is striking: I forget, but my phone never does. Scrolling through Instagram this morning, I came across reports of protests against the proposed electronic ID card. At first glance, these IDs are voluntary. Yet the objections are layered: the potential for a points-based system reminiscent of China’s social credit model, mandatory linking of insurance, banking, health, and educational data, and automatic deductions if funds are not fully spent by month’s end. Citizens fear a creeping compulsion, where optionality is merely an illusion, and non-compliance could carry penalties. In China, such systems already dictate everyday life: facial recognition monitors citizens, assigning rewards or restrictions based on algorithmic assessment of behaviour. The idea that a state could monitor, reward, and punish with such granularity understandably alarms people.
Meta: The Wet Dream of Every Stasi officer
Yet here’s the irony: the very protesters fearing governmental overreach are already participating in a parallel system of surveillance. Meta, through Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has woven itself into our lives with unprecedented reach. It tracks our locations, purchases, communications, and even how we express ourselves online. Users who attempt to build a digital presence—blogs, content, or professional accounts—face algorithmic evaluation: your reach and visibility can be throttled if you do not use your own voice, if you rely on voice-over, or if you violate unstated content norms. Shadowbanning is automatic; rewards—early trials, testing opportunities—only accrue if you fully comply. Meta’s aggressiveness extends to your banking and location data. Advertisements follow you based on an address you no longer inhabit, because your financial accounts remain registered there. Every interaction, every transaction, every detail can be leveraged. In short, the infrastructure of surveillance isn’t an abstract worry—it is already embedded in our daily lives. And on the horizon looms the possibility of linking genetic data. Imagine Meta gaining access to databases like MyHeritage, combining social, financial, and biological information. The implications are staggering, and as always, one hopes that those in control are not too meshuggah to exploit such sensitive data. We live at the intersection of forgetfulness and hyper-surveillance, of convenience and exposure. Our phones know more than we do; our data trails extend beyond our comprehension. The lesson is inescapable: privacy, as we have understood it, is under continuous negotiation.
read more -> https://thred.com/tech/new-mandatory-digital-id-for-uk-residents-sparks-controversy
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