Advocate Ian Kermode has written an open letter to the Chief Minister urging him to publicly reject any plans to introduce compulsory digital ID cards.
The letter follows UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement of a planned compulsory ‘Brit Card’.
Mr Kermode outlines strong opposition from UK political parties and a public petition gathering support.
He argues the cards are unnecessary for tackling illegal migration, would discriminate against the elderly and poor, and pose significant data security risks.
Slippery Slope
Mr Kermode also warns of a “slippery slope” towards a surveillance society, citing the extensive use of resident ID cards in China.
“The prospect fills me with a profound sense of uneasiness. It feels invasive. It feels instinctively wrong,” Kermode writes. He describes such cards as an “enemy of freedom”.
Highlighting the island’s autonomy, Mr Kermode questions how compulsory ID cards align with the Manx national anthem’s promise of freedom.
He directly asks the Chief Minister: “Will you clearly, explicitly and publicly rule out the introduction of any form of compulsory ID cards?” and suggests such a fundamental change should be put to a national referendum.
The letter concludes that compulsory digital ID cards represent a “deeply sinister and serious overreach by the State” and must be avoided to prevent sleepwalking into a “dehumanising totalitarian society”.