Digital ID is being forced on us and most people have no idea.

Digital ID is being forced on us and most people have no idea.

You may think digital ID is something to resist in the distant future but what if the infrastructure is already being built around you?

The Real ID Act, federalized identification, and biometric scanners at airports are creating a system where your physical identity and your digital data are woven together—often without full understanding of what’s being collected or how it can be used.

Other countries have already rolled out national digital identity systems by pairing government IDs with biometric data. And the concern is simple: once these systems exist, access to key parts of life like travel, banking, healthcare, online services can be turned on or off on a whim. You lose control over your own life.

Whether you see this as convenience or as a gateway to centralized tracking, the one step you can control is whether you hand over your biometric data. Opting out of facial recognition at TSA is still allowed, and for many, it’s the last line of personal choice in an increasingly digitized world.

Before we move into a future shaped by technology, it’s worth stopping to ask: What exactly are we consenting to?

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