LONDON (Web Desk) – The European Commission has proposed the idea of using national ID cards to log in to online services, including Facebook, Twitter and even Uber, in a move to curb both online privacy and freedom of speech.
According to the documents leaked from within the European Commission, the idea has been presented by Andrus Ansip, Vice President for the Digital Single Market on the European Commission.
Government ID cards are used in all European member states, except for Denmark and the UK. But the move may open the floodgates to similar actions elsewhere.
Since the leak, the European Commission has uploaded the paper to the Commission’s own website, the Mail Online reports.
The paper, which is called ‘Online Platforms and the Digital Single Market’ and is dated from 25 May, outlines: “Online platforms need to accept credentials issued or recognized by national public authorities, such as electronic ID cards, citizens cards, bank cards or mobile IDs.”
“For every consumer to have a multitude of username and password combinations is not only inconvenient but becomes a security risk,” it continues.
Mr Ansip is from Estonia, where they currently have a highly-developed national ID card system.
The main reason that the paper gives for using ID cards to log in to online services is to combat the current prevalence of fake user reviews that are misleading European consumers.
However, many people are unhappy about the proposal, saying it will eradicate both online privacy and freedom of speech.
The plan is currently being tested on a state-by-state basis.
