Card Declined – Inside the Digital I.D. Wars

What this episode covers

Labour want to bring in digital I.D. and many people do NOT like it. Are they right? Are they wrong? And what is the “Lethal Trifecta” that makes the plan so risky? Hannah Fearn is very opposed to digital I.D. on civil liberties grounds. Jonn Elledge thinks it’s not that big a deal. Special guest Alex Hern – The Economist’s correspondent on A.I. – has the inside tech perspective. And Matt Green tries to keep order. Intrusion into privacy or a well-managed public version of something we all consented to years ago? “What this is really about nationalising I.D.,” says Alex, “because the Tories privatised it.” ESCAPE ROUTES • Hannah recommends How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge) on BBC iPlayer. • Jonn is looking forward to Celebrity Traitors. • Alex Hern recommends The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson (and Andrew Harrison heartily agrees). • Matt has been watching Hacks Season 4 on Sky. Buy The Diamond Age through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund OGWN by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Head to ⁠nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow⁠ to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here: nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow. It’s risk- free with Nord’s 30-day money back guarantee! • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more • Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more. Written and presented by Matt Green with Jonn Elledge and Hannah Fearn. Audio production by Tom Taylor and Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Cornershop. Art direction: James Parrett. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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This episode is 1 hour and 4 minutes long.

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This episode was published on October 14, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Labour want to bring in digital I.D. and many people do NOT like it. Are they right? Are they wrong? And what is the “Lethal Trifecta” that makes the plan so risky? Hannah Fearn is very opposed to digital I.D. on civil liberties grounds. Jonn...

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