I still think of my dear grandmother, may she rest in peace, sitting each Imbolc deftly crafting a Brigid’s cross from rushes. It wasn’t all just frosting on the cake either. It represented a spiritual relationship with our forebears and was a prayer that was literally laced into the core of who we are. Now, that was identity. Rooted, tangible, passed down through generations. What happens when identity becomes…digital? When it's outsourced to algorithms and databases? That’s what I’ve been thinking as I’ve read about the wildly ambitious new Indonesian digital ID plan.

Digital Progress or Cultural Erasure?

Indonesia, a vast archipelagic country teeming with rich cultural diversity and heritage, is silently on its way to embrace its digital era. These ideas are spelled out in its “Golden Indonesia Vision 2045,” which vows to ensure economic prosperity by leveraging technological advancement. At the heart of such a vision is a robust digital identity ecosystem. On the face of it, this looks like a slam dunk. Streamlined government services? Improved access to education and healthcare? Who could argue with that?

If you look deeper, you’ll discover a tangled landscape of traps and challenges. When considered from this lens, is this digital push genuinely about empowerment, or is it a more insidious form of cultural assimilation? Have we become so enamored with the shiny promise of efficiency that we ignore the subtleties of local character?

Think about it. The Irish language, formerly the lifeblood of our culture, all but disappeared from the land as it succumbed to the weight of an English-speaking hegemony. Standardized education, centralized governance – each played a role in the degradation of local dialects and ways of life. Could Indonesia’s digital ID, despite its good intentions, unknowingly follow suit? In communities with a long history of oral traditions, these are serious hurdles. Their unique identities, tied up with family names carried through generations, defy neat reconciliation in a computer spreadsheet.

Data Security Versus Government Overreach?

The ideal of tamper proof access controls and digital signatures is amazing, isn’t it? Better, faster, smarter, more trusted digital government services – that’s the talking point. Who controls those access controls? Who safeguards the data?

The roundtable event hosted by GovInsider and Entrust, scheduled for May 9, 2025, aims to address some of these concerns. They’ll be covering onboarding citizens, managing credentials, and accessing securely. Are these discussions truly inclusive? Are the needs and desires of the dispossessed and unconsulted, in this case the BIPOC communities, being considered? Or is this a repeat of other tech-led initiatives orchestrated by government and corporate overlords?

Here I have a conversation with Ibu Ratna, a senior Indonesian weaver from the small village of Tenganan in Bali. She doesn't use computers. She barely has reliable electricity. Her identity is tied to her work, in the detailed designs she gives life to in her one-of-a-kind textiles. "Will this digital ID help me sell my weavings?" she asked. "Or will it just make it easier for the government to track me?" Her question haunts me.

The anxiety is real. A culture poised on the edge of dramatic transformation, so rich with potential, innovation and creativity, yet intimidated. It asks if this change will be a boon or a bane. What we don’t want to do is get seduced by the siren call of the highly centralized deus ex machina solution. After all, history is replete with examples of governments using technology to track and surveil their citizens.

Innovation for Whom Exactly?

The digital ID plan promises fast onboarding via remote, in-person, and hybrid identity verification. What about those who do not have the financial resources or technical literacy to work through complex systems? Does this mean we’re developing a two-tiered society, where receiving essential services is contingent on one’s ability to navigate the digital world?

This isn't just an Indonesian problem. It's a global challenge. We have to be aware of the digital divide, of the fact that technology creates or worsens disparities. The ‘Golden Vision 2045’ must not be at the expense of a community’s cultural identity or an individual’s freedom.

Whatever benefits this initiative brings, it’s critically important that the modernization of digital identities delivers real opportunities and new liberties for all Americans. Everyone – especially those who may not be technologically fluent and/or digitally included.

I’m all for progress, but not at the expense of our shared humanity. As explained above, as Indonesia moves toward this digital path, I ask the policymakers to go slow. So that we can more faithfully listen to the voices of the marginalized. To prioritize cultural preservation alongside technological innovation. Let’s turn this digital ID plan into a true Celtic blessing for all Indonesians. We’re looking for it to transform them, rather than become the technology boomerang that puts their vibrant cultural legacy at risk. We need to realize that real results are more than just improved efficiency. It includes dignity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the preservation of what makes us all beautifully and complexly human. Let's make sure the "Golden Vision 2045" doesn't become a gilded cage.