Digital identity cards are set to be introduced in Switzerland after voters narrowly approved a referendum over the weekend.

Despite the majority of the cantons voting against the e-ID legislation, a razor-thin majority of 50.39 per cent of the Swiss public voted in favour of introducing digital identification.

Voters had previously rejected a similar effort in 2021.

However, after Swiss lawmakers backed the creation of a digital ID, signatures were quickly gathered to put the measure back before the people in a referendum.

It remains to be seen if this will be the final word on the matter.

Opponents are calling for another vote given the incredibly narrow result.

Critics of the Federal Act on Electronic Identity have warned that the technology used is insufficient to protect citizen data from cyberattacks and hacks.

Opponents have also warned that digital IDs could be the beginning of an all-encompassing surveillance state.

This system could be used to punish government critics or dissidents.

Proponents have noted that it will be an optional system.

Government authorities or private firms which use the system will be prohibited from obtaining more information than is needed from the digital ID card.

The system has been pitched as being a means for Swiss citizens to “identify themselves digitally in a secure, fast and uncomplicated way”.

The IDs will function as a smartphone app.

They will be used to access government services, provide age verification, and enable virtual transactions, such as opening a bank account or starting a mobile phone contract.

The government is also said to be planning to use the system to introduce digital travel tickets.

Officials may potentially use it to develop an e-voting system.

It comes amid heated debate in the United Kingdom over similar plans to introduce a digital identity system.

The left-wing Labour government in London has pitched it as a means of preventing illegal migrants from working in Britain.

However, critics have noted that those who don’t follow the law already — like illegal migrants — are unlikely to do so with a digital ID.

Therefore, it would only impact law-abiding British citizens.

The plans have long been advocated for by the likes of former PM Tony Blair.

They have sparked a major backlash.

Over two million citizens have signed a petition against digital IDs.

The Swiss vote represents a major shift in public opinion since 2021.

The narrow margin shows deep divisions among Swiss citizens about digital surveillance.

Switzerland’s traditional commitment to privacy makes this approval particularly significant.

The cantonal opposition reveals regional resistance to centralized digital systems.

Critics worry the “optional” designation will eventually become mandatory through social pressure.

Banks and businesses may require digital IDs for services, making them effectively compulsory.

The smartphone app format raises concerns about those without smartphones or technical skills.

Government promises about data protection ring hollow given global cybersecurity failures.

The surveillance state concerns reflect broader fears about government overreach and control.

Using digital IDs to punish dissidents isn’t theoretical in countries with similar systems.

The e-voting potential opens doors to election manipulation and fraud concerns.

Digital travel tickets and banking access concentrate power in government-controlled systems.

The UK’s similar push shows this is a coordinated international movement toward digital control.

Tony Blair’s involvement in UK digital ID advocacy links it to globalist agendas.

The two million petition signatures in Britain show massive public resistance to these schemes.

The claim that digital IDs will stop illegal immigration is demonstrably false.

Criminals by definition don’t follow laws, so they won’t comply with digital ID requirements.

Law-abiding citizens bear the burden while lawbreakers continue operating outside the system.

Switzerland’s approval may embolden other nations to push similar digital identity schemes.

The razor-thin margin suggests opponents could overturn this decision in future votes.