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Britain to introduce compulsory digital ID for workers

(www.reuters.com)
525 points alex77456 | 1 comments | 26 Sep 25 02:09 UTC | HN request time: 0.227s | source
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pera ◴[26 Sep 25 12:23 UTC] No.45385681[source]▶
I am quite confused by this point:

> A new digital ID scheme will help combat illegal working

If you are an immigrant you already have to prove your right to work with a share code:

https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work/get-a-share-code-onli...

And if you claim to be a citizen you must show a passport or birth certificate:

https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work

So how exactly will this new digital ID help "stop those with no right to be here from being able to find work"?

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IanCal ◴[26 Sep 25 18:19 UTC] No.45389444[source]▶
Showing a birth certificate isn’t a particularly hard bar to pass if you want to fake that you’re a national to be fair. You need just that and a printed letter and there’s nothing an employer will do beyond copying that (afaik you can’t look up a birth certificate and check it’s valid)
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1. zahllos ◴[26 Sep 25 21:03 UTC] No.45391000[source]▶
You can sort of look up a birth certificate but the service isn't designed for that. It is here: https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/

This is where you get certified copies should you ever need that for interfacing with foreign governments that want them (the European country I live in very much wants a copy of my birth certificate).

It's not an identity check by any means but a legitimate birth certificate ought to be findable here.

But yes birth cert + utility bill is a very, very weak binding to identity.