Defining Digital ID: Ideating a people centred and tech positive approach to digital ID in the UK

Published: 15 Jan 2026

Democratic Participation Trusted Technology

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Author info

Elizabeth SegerAssociate Director, Digital Policy and AI

Elizabeth Seger

Associate Director, Digital Policy and AI

[email protected]

Polly CurtisChief Executive

Polly Curtis

Chief Executive

[email protected]

Alexander Iosad, Director, Government Innovation Policy, Tony Blair InstituteContributing author

Alexander Iosad, Director, Government Innovation Policy, Tony Blair Institute

Contributing author

Cosmina Dorobantu, Professor in Practice in the Data Science Institute at LSEContributing author

Cosmina Dorobantu, Professor in Practice in the Data Science Institute at LSE

Contributing author

Alexander Evans, Associate Dean for Strategic Development at the LSE School of Public PolicyContributing author

Alexander Evans, Associate Dean for Strategic Development at the LSE School of Public Policy

Contributing author

This briefing paper is the summary of a workshop examining the key opportunities and challenges for a digital identification program in the UK. It was held in partnership between Demos, the Tony Blair Institute and the LSE with input from the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Cabinet Office. It was attended by a diverse range of civil society organisations.

It is part of Demos’s work focused on achieving more Trustworthy Technology, in which technological progress aligns with the needs and values of citizens. It will also inform our future work on Public Service Reform, which makes the case for data, digital and technology to be deployed in service of more relational and effective public services.