An overseas digital identity acquaintance of mine recently posted a harmless LinkedIn update: coming to the UK to speak on a panel, curious what Brits think about digital ID. Pretty gentle, nerdy stuff.

A few hours later his comments were a wall of fury; conspiracies of soul-harvesting, globalist plots. The wrath of British LinkedIn had arrived.

Britain’s relationship with “papers, please” is uniquely emotional, shaped by centuries of uncomfortable encounters between the state and the individual. Our resistance is full-throated and patriotic, even when it makes no sense at all.

In this talk, Jaye takes us on an irreverent but insightful journey through Britain’s ID angst, from the second world war to Tony Blair's ill-fated 2000s foray, and the recent resurrection of its digital ghost.

We'll see how the coronavirus pandemic calcified our attitudes into their current dysfunctional form.

Understanding this cultural operating system is crucial, because the UK is once again building a national digital ID. And without reckoning with our past, we may doom its future.

Expect laughs, uncomfortable truths, and some truly inscrutable LinkedIn comments.