Congressional AI report pushes digital IDs

A 250-page congressional report on AI published on Tuesday encouraged the use of digital IDs.

The report was published by the bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, which is co-chaired by Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Ted Lieu (D-CA). It recommended several government actions related to AI technology, including facilitating digital IDs for users to combat fraud in AI-generated content. The report proposed digital IDs that can be used both online and offline.

“In its most basic implementation, a digital ID simply recreates a physical ID, such as a driver’s license, in a digital format,” the report said. “In more sophisticated implementations, a fully integrated digital identity system can provide verification processes in both the online and physical world.”

The report also suggested that digital IDs contain biometric data such as fingerprints or facial images and said the government can help facilitate the development of digital IDs.

“Rather than establishing new federal digital ID requirements, the government can be most effective by facilitating coordination and supporting the development of useful technologies,” the report continued. “The government has successfully leveraged public-private partnerships several times over the last few decades to help identify and address challenges with digital identity technology.”

Concerns about digital IDs

Digital IDs, which are seen by many as the successors of vaccine passports, have sparked concerns that they increase the probability of government surveillance and totalitarian overreach. For example, while a government can use a taxpayer’s digital ID to deposit money, it could also use it to lock their bank account if they haven’t paid their carbon taxes or if their carbon footprint exceeds their alloted size.

According to the UN’s vision, each individual’s digital identity will be tied to other aspects of his or her life, creating a kind of digital web. At the center of this web would be the ID, which would be accessible to government authorities. 

The Gold Report revealed last year, for example, that GAVI, a UN-sponsored vaccination body, began pilot testing a program in Ghana that immediately registers the biometric data of every newborn. At birth, infants’ fingerprints are scanned, as are the voices of their parents or caregivers. These data are used to create digital identities that track each baby’s vaccinations and allow him or her to receive government benefits.

In May 2023, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for universal welfare, which he said governments should distribute to citizens according to their digital IDs. Those IDs, he explained, should be linked to private bank accounts.

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