WARNING: Congress Pushes Digital ID Task Force in 3 Privacy-Related Bills

WARNING: Congress Pushes Digital ID Task Force in 3 Privacy-Related Bills
WARNING: Congress Pushes Digital ID Task Force in 3 Privacy-Related Bills

United States: Three different proposals introduced by Illinois Democrat Rep. Bill Foster are intended to force digital identification on all Americans.

On Twitter in September 2020, the congressman from Illinois initially unveiled the Improving Digital Identity Act, saying that “it’s time the United States catches up with the developed world on digital identity technology,” according to reports.

Foster stated that it was now “vitally important to ramp up safeguards to protect against identity theft and fraud,” citing the advantages of a “bipartisan” law to give consumers and companies confidence in their online transactions.

And according to Foster, it appears that digital I.D. is the only way to accomplish this.

Foster has not let up on this measure; Reclaim the Net noted that he reintroduced it in 2021 and again in 2024.

Foster’s website states that the measure requests the formation of a Digital Identity Task Force composed of federal, state, and municipal officials.

The task group would provide “tools for verification” and other strategies to help government agencies “validate” and “protect” people’s identities on the internet.

Naturally, this refers to government-run verification initiatives and digital I.D.s granted by the government. The task force would also decide if verification programs needed a “fee-based model.”

Bill H.R. 4258 is associated with the anticipated $50 million cost over five years to develop the digital system.

Originally, three Republicans and ten Democrats co-sponsored it, including Rep. John Katko of New York, Georgia’s Barry Loudermilk (R), and James Langevin (D) of Rhode Island.

Foster reintroduced the digital I.D. bill in September 2024 to ” establish a Government-wide approach to improving digital identity, and for other purposes.”

As of the time of publishing, H.R. 9783’s text was still pending submission, as per reports.

Foster co-sponsored a bill on the same subject with Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins in June 2024.

H.R. 8658, the Emerging Digital Identity Ecosystem Report Act of 2024, required the TSA to provide a report on “digital identity ecosystems.”

The advantages and disadvantages of digital identities in American homeland security will be covered in the bills. Congressmen from both parties seem to be gathering evidence to support their case for mandating digital identity.

Thus far, they have cited strengthening national security, protecting internet transactions, and averting identity theft as the main justifications for their bills.

The annual World Economic Forum, where society’s leaders convene to determine which policy recommendations to pursue in their jurisdictions, has long been a forum for discussion on digital identity.

Reportedly, the WEF has promoted a digital I.D. system since at least 2020 to assist the most disadvantaged segments of society. “A digital I.D. system allowed Chile rapidly to pre-enroll millions of new beneficiaries in social programs,” the organization wrote.

In 2023, the WEF said it was “difficult or impossible” for the roughly 850 million people without I.D. to “fully engage with society.”

According to the WEF, this showcases a perfect reason to implement a cost-efficient, paperless I.D. system.

Do you trust the federal government with a digital I.D. system for all Americans?