I’m amazed that non one has mentioned the big problem with digital IDs: dead phone batteries!
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I think if it’s more convenient for them, most people will embrace digital ID the way they have taken to using their phones to pay for goods and using their phones as aeroplane and event tickets. It seems to me that most (normal) people will take convenience over any ethical or privacy concerns.
Then there are people (like me and many other people here on this forum) who will reject the technology for various, well considered reasons. But these will be in a minority.
And then there is a third possibility (likelihood?) where in the US, some shitbird like Alex Jones will see it as an oportunity to sow fear and dissent (and profit from this) and it’ll be 5G/Bill Gates/Lizard Overlords all over again.
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I’m not sure if this will apply to all IDs mentioned here, but recent iPhone (and I believe Android) hardware/software have a power reserve mode that supports some payments, student ids, car keys, and resort passes. It reports to last an extra 5 hours after your phone shuts down.
I think people are starting to get used to the battery game. I haven’t printed a boarding pass for a plane flight in years but have been worried about showing up to the gate with a dead phone. Years ago I did miss a flight because the line I was in didn’t have a digital scanner and I didn’t have time to go back and print a paper pass or wait in another security line.
I wonder if people would have clung to printing their tickets if printers weren’t miserable and expensive to use and maintain? Or are you talking about waiting in line at the box office for physical tickets?
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There have been some interesting articles floating around about how the Taliban are taking advantage of this because there are now so many convenient government databases listing contractors’ personal details that they don’t even need to threaten people to find who they are looking for…
That’s why I always print out/request a physical boarding pass at the airport,even after having checked in on the app.
Wouldn’t these databases exist regardless? A police officer doesn’t just trust the card I hand them is legit. A bouncer or bartender wouldn’t have access to the database whether physical or digital. The way I understand these digital IDs are designed there’s less of a need to access a central database for authentication. So you could have more restrictions to the data.
That, and on the off chance that the scanner or whatsit at the gate has broken down and is refusing to scan devices, or decides that it doesn’t like your specific devices, etc.
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