The EU parliament has approved the creation of a digital “wallet” system, raising concerns about increased state control over people’s lives.
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EU MEPs in Strasbourg signed the European Digital Identity (eID) by a margin of 335 votes in favor, 190 votes against, and 31 abstentions. ‘Digital wallets’ currently only require a valid rubber stamp from the EU Council of Ministers to become law, meaning that national IDs, driving licenses, bank account details, medical prescriptions and other personal information of users can be digitally transferred. It will be included in the format.
To improve the liquidity of digital exchanges, the law provides EU wallet users with free “qualified electronic signatures” and wallet-to-wallet exchanges, which are the most trusted and have the same legal status as handwritten signatures.
Supporters of the measure argued that China has become increasingly digital since the coronavirus crisis, so citizens need a secure way to store their personal information.
“This law aims to empower citizens by giving them full control over the use and sharing of their data. It has evolved into a vehicle for promoting inclusivity in the digital age.” Said Croatian socialist parliamentarian Romana Jerkovic.
The wallet will be adopted on a “voluntary basis” and safeguards will be put in place to avoid “discrimination against those who choose not to use a digital wallet,” according to a press release from Congress. The system will also reportedly be open source to “promote transparency, innovation, and strengthen security.”
Parliament has given the green light to digital wallets, a new system that will make it easier to access public and private services anywhere in the EU.
Click here for details ↓ pic.twitter.com/EVCKmgPa5G
— European Parliament (@Europarl_EN) February 29, 2024
However, some warn about the potential for digital wallets to be used for authoritarian purposes. Cristian Terges, a Romanian MEP, said in an interview with Breitbart London last year that cross-border digital IDs are part of the “sinicization” of Europe, and that they can be used through backdoors to control Chinese Communist Party-style societies. He said he was creating a credit score.
Dutch political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek Added: “They say it’s voluntary, just as they say digital vaccine passports are voluntary. This system is the basis of China’s social credit-style digital surveillance state.”
Like Beijing, Brussels is considering introducing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), but critics have warned it could be used as a social engineering tool, with even the Bank of England Such a national virtual currency is “programmableThis means the government can decide what people think is worth spending their money on.
Additionally, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands told the World Economic Forum (WEF) that governments could use biometric digital ID systems to track “who has actually been vaccinated and who has not.”
The EU has made progress in tracking the medical situation, including adopting digital COVID-19 certificates for vaccination, testing and recovery from COVID-19 as the basis of the World Health Organization’s Global Health Passport system last year. It has played the role of a trendsetter or something of a kind. against “current and future health threats.”
WEF: Biometric digital ID cards could track vaccination status, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands says at Davoshttps://t.co/5Z7i7JkGb9
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 20, 2024
