"Keir Starmer's plan for digital IDs risks creating an enormous hacking target, a cybersecurity expert has warned, as technology companies prepared to bid for contracts that could run into billions of pounds. Amid widespread opposition, the prime minister said the mandatory digital ID including citizens' photos, names, dates of birth, nationalities and residency status would come into use by July 2029. The government said the ID would sit in a digital wallet on citizens' smartphones and use state-of-the-art encryption."
"But Alan Woodward, a professor and cybersecurity expert at the University of Surrey, said that if the data is also held on a vast database to allow for cross-referencing, it's painting a huge target on something to say come and hack me'. The government has not yet provided detail on how it would make the system work, sparking calls for greater transparency."
The prime minister announced a mandatory digital ID to begin use by July 2029 containing citizens' photos, names, dates of birth, nationalities and residency status. The ID will be stored in a gov.uk digital wallet on smartphones and will use state-of-the-art encryption. Ministers said the scheme, dubbed Britcard, could be used for welfare, driving licences, childcare and tax records and to deter illegal working. Cybersecurity experts warn that holding data in a vast, cross-referenced database would create a large, attractive target for hackers. Recent criminal breaches and leaked photographs have amplified public concern and calls for transparency.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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