Hello Agenda 2030? Countries across all continents rolling out digital IDs en masse

Britons are up in arms over the government's Orwellian BritCard digital ID scheme, with over 2.8M people signing a petition to prevent its implementation.

But while the scheme and its comical pretext ("tackling illegal immigration" – the same problem successive British governments themselves created), is frightening, it definitely isn't the first. In recent months, mandatory or voluntary digital ID schemes have been introduced in:

EU: EUDI Wallet pilot schemes ongoing, mass rollout planned in 2026

Switzerland: e-ID card scheme narrowly approved (what a surprise) in a September referendum

India: Expansion of its de facto mandatory Aadhaar system to include Face ID by December

China: online authentication ID scheme launched in July

???????? South Korea: Digital Residence Card launched in January

Vietnam: Mandatory e-ID for all online administrative procedures since July

Laos: national digital ID launched in October

Papua New Guinea: SevisPass digital ID launched in May, full-scale rollout planned next March

Australia: myID - touted as "a secure way to prove who you are online" – implemented in late 2024

Mexico: mandatory biometrics-based 'Unique Population Registration Code' – CURP ID from 2026

Costa Rica: IDC scheme rolled out in September

Ethiopia: Fayda digital ID mandatory for banking since January

Nigeria: Continued expansion of sprawling national digital ID (NIN) scheme

Zambia: Large-scale INRIS project backed by World Bank being rolled out