What to do about Digital ID? Surveillance, Privacy, and Risk – Zoom

Governments across Canada and around the world are implementing Digital ID systems, generally with the public intention of providing more and better government services to its citizens. Some of these systems have produced positive results while others have served as tools for governments to monitor and suppress political dissidents.

Digital ID, like any other technology, can be used at any scale: small scale with minimal risks, or large scale with monumental risks. As Canada continues its experiment with Digital ID, it is worth considering how these technologies, policies, and relationships between government and industry may pose risks to Canadians’ fundamental freedoms.

We should consider the experiences of other countries, the history of Digital ID in Canada, and look to the publicly available plans for expanding Digital ID within Canada and around the world.

Keith Pridgen graduated cum laude from Florida State University College of Law in 2017 and has a decade of experience working in and adjacent to government in both Canada and the US. Long before he entered the legal profession, he was interested in civil liberties issues, stemming from his own free speech fight against the University of Calgary. While he understands the desire for government to expand and provide more services to its citizens, he also recognizes that protecting our freedoms requires citizens to exercise caution and for government to exercise humility.