Australia's mandatory Digital ID is one step closer
It's just a "...digital thumbs up from the government that you are who you say you are."
On the 12th of August 2024 Bill Shorten, the Australian Federal Minister for Government Services, announced in a press conference the unrolling of the Digital Identity Trust Exchange or TEx for short, which is the infrastructure for the people’s everyday use of Australia’s Digital ID.
Bill spent around an hour spouting weasel words, buzz words and spin. He was vague on concrete details, repeating the words “Consent, Choice, Trust” numerous times. And .. clangers such as:
“All that’s being exchanged is a digital thumbs up from the government that you are who you say you are.” WEASEL WORDS:
My video
This video is in three parts. The first covers shorts from Shorten’s press conference with intercepts of my commentary. The second covers ID2020 the global digital organisation which tasked themselves with creating the global digital ID framework. ID2020 is funded by the likes of Rockefeller, Gavi, Microsoft, and many more powerful corporate entities. I specifically hone in on the 2016 ID2020 press conference at the United Nations sponsored by the UN Office for Partnerships.
This press conference takes an interesting when a journalist from the Inner City Press asks about corruption charges involving the Office For Partnerships. I have a little bit more of a look in to this. After all, if a global Digital ID system is being unleashed on the citizens of the world, coreographed through private interests and the United Nations the people who are going to be under the ID need to feel comfortable with any implications to our life and capacity for autonomy.
I finish with a video I put together about a year ago which show the scope of the Digital ID, the scope the government should be transparent about, but is not.
Bill Shorten’s full address can be found here.
Digital ID Act 2024
Australia’s Digital ID Bill was passed in May 2024, a mere 3 months ago. A vast amount of people do not want to the Digital ID and the government went to great lengths to assure the public that it was voluntary. Not surprisingly, whilst the Digital ID Act states that Digital ID must be voluntary there are 3 clauses which allow it to be mandatory:
Note the phrase: “Digital ID does not change the way you access government services NOW.’
These clauses allow all businesses to implement a mandatory Digital ID. Though the Act states a Commonwealth company can not enact a mandatory Digital ID, my bet is this will be waived through some extraordinary measure due to a manufactured “crisis” in the years to come.
What does Bill Shorten say vs what is actually said
Australia will “..become the world leader in government service delivery and how we use technology to achieve that goal.”
“Services Australia intersects with every Australian at some point in their lives.” There will be no way around getting a Digital ID.
“Pass keys are a good example of agency innovation that’s made Australia a global pioneer in improving security of online services” Biometrics to be implemented in Digital ID.
“As they say the future is Digital.” As made abundantly clear the future of access to goods and services is online.
“Need to reduce the data used and shared by increasing use of Digital ID” A blatant lie- much more data will collected and stored on people under a Digital ID.
“5.6 million people now use (ing) the My Gov App. But at the moment its potential is under-utilised. Australians, we have a Ferrari in the garage but we only take it out to do the grocery shopping. I want to change that.” Ferrari Bill? How much more clearer can you be that you are out of touch with the average Australian, who is struggling to keep a roof over their head! Bill wants to push more people on to the My Gov App.
“My Gov is the gateway to Australia’s digital future.” You will need a Digital ID to stay current.
Bill unveils TEx: “TEx (Digital Identity Trust Exchange) will not duplicate Digital ID but builds on investments already made in that system. TEx will use My Gov and My Gov ID to make the sharing of personal information more secure and trustworthy. The difference between My Gov and My Gov ID is simply My Gov ID owned by the ATO (Australian Tax Office) is just one thing that proves the identity of government and business. On the other hand, My Gov, owned by Services Australia is a place where you can use your My Gov ID to conduct up 16 Federal government services, and we will add more.” CLEAR AS MUD BILL!
“The strength of this tech trifecta has the potential to give Australian’s control of their data..” WEASEL WORDS!
“We’re opting for the CARROT over the STICK..” Bill is letting us know that if we don’t agree at the carrot stage the stick will be used later.
TEx is a “secure means by which to exchange with a third party who you are, your identity. And what you can do, your credentials.” To show prospective employers your credentials you will need a Digital ID. To access goods and services you will need a Digital ID.
Time frame- By December “TEx will establish the ability to issue a verified credential, ability to selectively share information, and ability to prove your identity without sharing your information… By Jan 2025 the proof of concept will be complete and we will assess what our options are for pilots.”
Here’s how it will work according to Bill- he’s using the My Gov wallet to illustrate:
1. You book a hotel room
Upon booking in the hotel requests your identification (in past drivers license, for e.g.).
With TEx, instead of handing over documents, you scan a QR code on the front desk, like Tap To Pay that digitally shakes hands with your My Gov Wallet.
Secure, blah, blah, blah, decentralised, privacy, blah, blah, blah.
Record in My Gov wallet of how you shared information.
Isn’t that incredible, the government is spending millions upon millions of dollars to streamline our hotel check ins. Wouldn’t have anything to do with the government having real time data on where we are, what we are doing, what goods and services we are accessing? Of course not!
“Choice! Consent! Trust! Choice- you choose what information is shared and with whom. Consent- you deliberately consent to every bit of information that you share. Trust- Information shared is trusted because the system imposes rigorous privacy and security standards to validate its authenticity.” WEASEL WORDS- “Coercion! Obligation! Control! In the future we will not have the choice to not use a Digital ID. You will be coerced into using one for access to goods and services. You will then be centrally surveilled and controlled.
“Alll that’s being exchanged is a digital thumbs up from the government that you are who you say you are.” This is a fundamental shift in government control. The government, in future, will have the power to allow or disallow you access to services in arenas they previously had no control over.
Partnerships
Bill gives a special shout out to Victor Dominello. This fellow, affectionately remembered as fronting up to the daily government covid floggings (can be summed up by “anti vaxxer-get vaxxed.. or else!”) with Bells Palsy, as well as rolling out Covid19 Digital Vaccine Certificates. Victor was the NSW Minister for Customer Service, since leaving politics he has nestled himself into the Wellbeing Digital Government Transformation space, through setting up Service Gen and working hand in hand with the government.
Bill also mentions Mandala Partners. Mandala lists one Co-founder, Adam Triggs. The other Co-Founder seems to be invisible. I wrote to Mandala a few days back to ask for their name/s. I haven’t heard back as of yet, it must be a complex question.
Overhaul of government services
Bill goes on to say they’re overhauling government services. You’ll be surprised to know, I’m sure, that the role of Smart Government is to collect immense amount of data on its “Smart Citizens.” Yay!
Overhauling of Australia’s Privacy Act
I haven’t yet built up the stamina to decode the proposed changes to Australia’s Privacy Act. Guaranteed it will strip us of privacy rights under the weasel wording “strengthening privacy”. I want to put the overhaul on people’s radar, and hopefully someone with legal skills can have a dig around and let the Australian people know what is intended.
What Bill Shorten doesn’t disclose
Bill doesn’t disclose that Digital ID is a requirement under the 2015 United Nations Paris agreement. Target 16.9: By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration has morphed into every person (besides those who know how to get around it) in the world having a Digital ID.
Bill Shorten neglects to mention ID2020, who have spent at least 8 years working on the Digital ID landscape. Funders including GAVI, Rockefeller, Microsoft and many more powerful players. ID2020 have a partnership with the United Nations. James Corbett covers ID2020 in Corbett Report Episode 415 – The Global Digital ID Prison
I watched the ID2020 launch at the United Nations. This occurred in 2016 and was sponsored by the UN Office For Partnerships:
Whilst watching I became aware of a scandal afflicting the UN in 2016. A corruption blow up, with high officials in the United Nations receiving bribes to do favours using their positions. One of the high ranking UN officials was John Ashe. John was the President of the UN General Assembly, President of the UNICEF Executive Board, and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York of Antigua and Barbuda. Before John was able to testify he dropped a barbell on his throat and killed himself.
The case cast serious concerns about the United Nation’s being infected by corruption.
The Journalist raising the scandal was Matthew Lees from Inner City Press. I was impressed by Matthew’s style, the other “journalists” at the press release were just asking for sound bites to make it easier for them to write up their articles. Matthew was a long standing journalist housed at the United Nations, two years later he was thrown out.
How is this relevant to Digital ID? During the 2016 ID2020 press release at the United Nations, Niall McCann Lead Electoral Advisor for UNDP states he wants:
Dialogue within the “UN Family” and industry that allows them to work together on a set of policy principles and identity management, that is shared universally and will advise member states.
Opportunity for the UN to speak to the technology sector and identify new technologies to help the member states to enhance their identity systems.
Private sector financing of identity management systems for nation states through the medium of the United Nations, so we can all work together on the implementation of SDG16.9.
This raises two questions:
Why is Bill Shorten being intentionally non transparent that private interests in collaboration with the United Nations are masterminding the Digital ID and Bill, on behalf of the Australian government, is only implementing the technologies?
How trustworthy is the United Nations?
After all if a centralised Digital ID is being implemented which will track our every move, purchase, decisions etc and will allow or block our access to goods and services, do you want to know who is at the top- creating and implementing the system? I do.
Resources:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-13/federal-parliament-live-blog-august-13/104216900
https://www.smartcompany.com.au/technology/government-trust-exchange-initiative-digital-id/
https://ia801809.us.archive.org/15/items/id-2020_202011/ID2020.pdf
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k17/k17peww8gf
https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE2DjfY
https://www.innovationaus.com/nsw-to-get-digital-venue-vax-passport-from-october-18/
https://www.servicegen.co/our-story
https://www.businessnews.com.au/Person/Damon-Rees
https://www.betterasusual.com/our-team/
https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/6355/pdf/
https://www.digitalidsystem.gov.au/news/what-australias-digital-id-is-and-isnt
https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2024A00025/asmade/text
https://www.ag.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-09/government-response-privacy-act-review-report.PDF
https://www.csoonline.com/article/573081/what-is-decentralized-identity.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9961047/
https://id4d.worldbank.org
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/my-carbon-an-approach-for-inclusive-and-sustainable-cities/
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k17/k17peww8gf
https://www.newstatesman.com/world/2013/10/meet-matthew-lee-scourge-united-nations
https://www.cjr.org/the_profile/reporter-expelled-un.php
https://medium.com/id2020/2017-id2020-summit-highlights-and-key-takeaways-95a70c1069f7
Another great publication, Kate.
This looks to me like a huge INCLUSION project. Everything about our lives will be included and any attempt to resist will see us EXCLUDED. The Shorten definition of TRUST is an appalling example of abuse of that word. I used to wonder why governments adopted third party products such as those offered by Microsoft, Google and Amazon et al and in so doing implicitly encouraged us to do the same. That was during my lengthy naive phase. Now, I know they used these organisations to cover for activities such as the capture of our private data which if engaged in by government might raise our alarm.
Shorten is a much more polished performer than Albanese. That is what makes him so dangerous. He used give Australians "the ability to" a number of times. There is nothing that this will give us that we cannot do now. What it will do is give collaboration between the UN, government agencies, technology firms and big business the ability to develop wide ranging surveillance and control systems that will monitor, manage and manipulate us in ways that are yet unimaginable. Is that the imagining Bill was referring to?
What struck me was how hateful his performance was. This was evident in his withering disdain for our intelligence. What he tried to pass off as jokes was a sign of his low opinion of us.
He tells us business is keen. Or course. Business was keen enough last time to do government bidding and to enforce the loss of our jobs, privacy and dignity. He is pleased to see that Telstra, Google, Tech Council of Australia, Commonwealth Bank, Seek are pleased to be involved. Of course they are.
I note Amazon already has NSW Health data.
https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/ehealth-nsw-case-study/#:~:text=As%20a%20ICT%20service%20provider,and%20auditing%20capabilities%20and%20controls.
The Sydney Morning Herald's David Crowe wonders "why not make it compulsory?" I wonder how he is paid for that sort of incisive commentary.
And there is what the incestuous "UN family" hopes to achieve. It wants to build a set of policy principles based on identity management and using our lives.
Lastly, here is excellent article on how ID2020 used Rockefeller money in Myanmar to force refugees to accept injections and biometric data capture before receiving aid. That is the future these low life mongrels, especially Shorten and his team, want for all of us.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/commonpass-new-covid-security-measures-will-make-health-a-prerequisite-for-travel/272298/
Great work, Kate
The Leunig cartoon at the beginning pretty much says it all, but you've surely dissolved any illusion that this digital ID agenda can be trusted. So well discerned.
Like the microscoper - you're making the invisible obvious.