Can digital IDs be used for voting, age verification, and accessing government services?
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Executive summary
Digital IDs are already being used for many government and private transactions — governments and companies worldwide deploy eID systems for services, banking, travel and right-to-work checks; the UK has announced a national digital ID that will be mandatory for right-to-work checks by the end of the Parliament [1]. Countries including Costa Rica, Denmark and others have rolled out eIDs that authenticate online services and banking, and major vendors like Apple now offer Digital ID in wallets for TSA checkpoints and other restricted uses [2] [3].
1. Digital ID can and already does verify age and access services — but implementation varies
Several countries’ eID systems are explicitly designed to let citizens "prove identity both online and in person" and to "access over 2,000 public and private services" including banking and government portals — for example Costa Rica’s 2025 rollout and Denmark’s MitID usage illustrate broad service access and age/identity verification use cases [2]. The UK government says its new digital ID will simplify applications for driving licences, childcare and welfare, and streamline tax records — and will be mandatory for right-to-work checks by the end of the Parliament [1]. Industry write‑ups likewise note digital IDs are used for verifying age when buying regulated goods in some pilots and proposals [4].
2. Voting: sources show plans and claims, but not clear universal use for elections
Available sources document digital IDs being used to authenticate access to services, banking and travel credentials [2] [3], and governments argue eID can streamline public service delivery [1]. However, the provided reporting does not show a clear, widely adopted example of national digital IDs being used to cast votes in public elections. Available sources do not mention a current, large‑scale national implementation of digital ID for voting in the provided set.
3. Age verification: technical feasibility and recent policy moves
Reports show governments and platforms are connecting eID and age verification: Costa Rica’s digital ID can be activated by facial recognition and used across banks and public institutions, demonstrating a practical route to proving age online [2]. Other reporting flags policy measures that pair digital identity with age controls — for example, broader eSafety and age‑restriction initiatives are discussed alongside national eID laws in Australia and the UK context in summary reports [5] [1] — but the pace, enforcement and technical routes differ by country [5].
4. Security, biometrics and vendor role: benefits and risks flagged by industry and watchdogs
Biometric onboarding (facial recognition, NFC, iris) and anti‑fraud tools are central to many eID systems: China's network number and tokenization use biometrics and NFC in eID cards; FaceTec and other vendors publish liveness and anti‑deepfake testing to underpin remote verification [2] [6]. Tech vendors argue private-sector solutions already offer privacy‑preserving options and warn against a state monopoly that could stifle innovation [7]. NGOs and civil liberties groups counter that mandatory schemes threaten civil liberties and create surveillance risks; in the UK a coalition of 13 NGOs opposes mandatory digital ID and warned about exclusion and discrimination [8].
5. UK case study: mandatory right‑to‑work checks, political controversy
The UK government announced a national digital ID to be mandatory for right‑to‑work checks and to simplify access to services; it places a statutory trust framework under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 [1] [7]. That plan provoked a major petition and parliamentary debate; MPs and NGOs raised concerns about exclusion, digital poverty, the removal of non‑digital options, and civil‑liberties implications [9] [8]. Supporters argue it will reduce fraud and streamline public services including health records [10].
6. Commercial rollouts and travel: Apple and REAL ID show partial, limited adoption
Apple’s Digital ID in Wallet lets U.S. users create IDs from passports and is rolling out for TSA checkpoints at more than 250 airports, but Apple explicitly notes it is not a passport replacement for international travel [3]. Separately, REAL ID rules remain important in the U.S. travel context and show that digital/biometric ID adoption can be incremental and sector‑specific rather than universal [11].
7. Bottom line and open questions
Digital IDs are technically capable and already in use for age checks and broad access to government and private services in multiple countries [2] [1]. Voting use at scale is not documented in the supplied sources — available sources do not mention national elections run on digital‑ID authentication. The debate is political: proponents cite efficiency and fraud reduction while NGOs, MPs and industry groups raise exclusion, monopoly and privacy concerns [10] [8] [7]. Decisions about mandatory versus voluntary rollout, biometric data governance, and fallback non‑digital options will determine whether digital ID expands access or creates new barriers [1] [8].