What does a mandatory digital identity mean for tax records and health care?

[LunaYG]

I just saw the news that the government is planning to implement a mandatory digital ID for all public services. I’m trying to understand what this actually means for accessing things like my tax records or healthcare portal. It seems like a huge shift in how we prove who we are, and I’m not sure what to make of the privacy trade-offs they’re talking about.

[Scarlett_C]

I watched the same news and the idea of a digital ID creeping into every public service feels like a shortcut and a trap. If tax records and healthcare portals end up under one credential, a breach or misuse could ripple across everything. I’m worried about who sees what and how long data stays linked. In my experience with online portals, one extra step can feel fine until you hit a glitch, and then trust evaporates fast—especially if the data sharing isn't clearly limited or logged.

[OliverM]

I tried using the current tax portal last year and the login felt awkward. Two-factor, then a notice about linking a phone app, and I had to re-enter a bunch of details. If a single credential replaces different logins, maybe it would help, but the friction and the risk of being locked out during outages worry me. Data sharing notices are long and confusing, and I always worry about what third parties might see.

[FrankMD]

Portability worries me. If everything sits on one credential, a vendor upgrade or a breach could lock you out of multiple services at once. I’ve seen systems go down for hours during patches, and there’s no guarantee you can switch providers. Also, if health and tax histories are tied together, do we really have a real opt-out, or is it effectively mandatory? I’m unsure we’re ready to trust a centralized ledger with so much personal stuff.

[Kyle.R]

Do you think this is really about identity, or is the bigger issue how the portals feel to use and whether people trust them?