Yet the G20, in its infinite wisdom, responded by launching a “TechSprint” to “build trust” in finance. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? As though a group of well-meaning tech billionaires aren’t programming their way to a more equitable universe. This isn't about trust; it's about control. It's about laying the foundation for a global digital identity system, and we need to ask ourselves: at what cost?

Trust or Control: A Slippery Slope?

They’re promoting it as “scalable and inclusive,” an online solution to onboard more Americans into the digital economy. Verifiable, digital identity, consumer-consented credit data portability – it all sounds so… wonky and nerdy. But lurking beneath these bureaucratic terms are the seeds of a sprawling surveillance state. Think about it. A universal, interoperable biometric digital ID linked to your bank account, your medical records, your entire digital footprint. What could possibly go wrong?

We've seen this movie before. What about when social security numbers were only meant to be used for tracking retirement benefits. Now, they're practically a universal identifier, used for everything from opening a bank account to getting a driver's license. This digital ID initiative is the same playbook, just on a global scale, and supercharged for the 21st century.

"Consumer-consented"? Please. And, most importantly, how much “consent” do you really have. The alternative is even more bleak—being permanently locked out of the digital economy and lacking access to essential services. It’s the new illusion of choice, a digital gilded cage. They offer the incentive of ease, yet the penalty of marginalization exists a breath away.

The G20 claims this is about inclusivity. But who really benefits? Certainly not the communities of color or low-income communities they pretend to be helping. Let's be realistic: the poor, the unbanked, the digitally illiterate – they're not exactly clamoring for a globally standardized digital identity. They’re concerned about making sure they can put food on the table, not dealing with issues of cross-border trade.

Inclusivity for Whom, Exactly?

This "inclusivity" is a smokescreen. We are deepening the impact of global finance and creating powerful new markets. We’re tracking every transaction, every purchase, every movement down to the penny. It’s about reducing human beings to data points, nice and tidy and readily manipulable.

Consider this: how many people in rural communities even have reliable internet access, let alone the smartphones needed to manage a digital ID? This initiative risks creating a two-tiered system, where the digitally connected thrive, and the digitally excluded are left even further behind. It's not inclusivity; it's digital colonialism.

That’s why the BIS and the South African Reserve Bank are providing a paltry $30,000 for solutions that can win. Pocket change, really, when compared to the scope of what this project could mean. It may be called a “TechSprint,” but this isn’t sprinting – this is a marathon! That finish line has taken us to a new world where privacy is an afterthought – if it even exists at all.

Marathon, Not a Sprint: Long-Term Cost

Now imagine the chilling effect this will have on dissent. Every purchase or interaction you have is tied straight to your digital identity. How comfortable would you be speaking ill of the government if you weren’t personally impacted? Strength/conduct How willing are you to be a maverick and push back against the status quo. And this isn’t simply about fiscal control—this is social control. It’s rooted in creating a culture and society in which conformity is rewarded, and dissent is punished.

Those myths of yesteryear, those Irish legends in which hubris always brings disaster. This new digital ID initiative is the modern-day equivalent of those tales. It's a Faustian bargain: convenience and efficiency in exchange for our freedom. Are we truly prepared to accept that bargain?

We are dangerously sleepwalking into a future where our every action is surveilled, profiled, and ultimately weaponized against us. It’s far too easy for the G20 to congratulate itself for coming up with “innovative” solutions. We, the people, need to get real and hold their feet to the fire and demand answers. It’s time to ask for real transparency, accountability and control over our own digital identities.

The future of freedom is at stake. We have time to turn the G20’s drive toward a digital dystopia on its heels.

What can you do?

  • Demand transparency: Contact your elected officials and demand they scrutinize these digital ID initiatives.
  • Support privacy-focused organizations: Donate to groups fighting for digital rights and privacy.
  • Educate yourself and others: Share this article and start a conversation about the risks of digital ID.

The future of freedom is at stake. Don't let the G20 sprint us into a digital dystopia.