Rangers supporters voiced their opposition to the UK government's contentious digital ID policy through a banner display at Ibrox, meanwhile the scheme continues to get pushback from MSPs in Holyrood.

The Union Bears displayed [1] their opposition to the identification scheme during the Europa League football match between Rangers and Roma on Thursday night. This protest occurred in the first half of the match at Ibrox. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the rollout of the identification measures, which are expected to be implemented by the end of the current parliamentary term. Digital ID cards will serve to verify an individual's right to live and work in the UK and access government services. The digital ID will be stored [2] on smartphones, containing details such as name, date of birth, nationality or residency status, and a photo for biometric security.

Prior to the start of the match at Ibrox, the Copland Stand was transformed into an extensive tifo display. This large gladiator-themed [3] display utilized the pulley system installed within the stand. However, following the kick-off, a contrasting banner emerged in the Union Bears section located at the front of the Copland Stand. The digital ID scheme continues to receive opposition in Holyrood with the [4] ruling SNP party leading the debate on mandatory digital ID in the UK. Pete Wishart who is [5] the MP for Perth and Kinross-shire, “The Labour Party’s ‘Brit Card’ plan is a desperate attempt to distract from their appalling record in government, but at a time when the cost of living crisis is hammering hard-pressed households, it is quite frankly appalling to waste billions on this harebrained scheme. Keir Starmer and his Labour government are in a complete mess, and this ridiculous 'Brit Card' scheme speaks volumes about just how low they’re prepared to go to distract the public from that.”

However, Alistair Carmichael [6] the MP for Orkney and Shetland, have accused the SNP of [7] being hypocrites in his column for the Scotsman, “The screeching hypocrisy from the SNP in recent weeks has been something to behold. They have pirouetted into opposition to the government’s mandatory digital ID card scheme  just three years after imposing their own mandatory scheme in Scotland. It appears that the SNP have no sense of embarrassment or indeed awareness about their hypocrisy over digital ID so it is for the rest of us to call it out,” said Carmichael, “You have to admire their brass neck. Pete Wishart made a point of securing a debate on digital ID in the House of Commons this week, so eager were the nationalists to rewrite their recent history. Wishart was typically furious in his condemnation of Keir Starmer’s ID programme, but conveniently ignorant of his own party’s record.”

Russell Findlay who [7] is the Leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party have [8] also criticized the SNP and their leadership, “Even by John Swinney's usual standards of political amnesia and brazen hypocrisy, his digital ID posturing is off the charts. For him to now attack Sir Keir Starmer is arrogant hypocrisy, not a principled stand.” The First Minister is supervising [9] ScotAccount which gathers comparable information about individuals, such as photographs and personal information. The goal of this policy is to establish a centralized form of identification. ScotAccount develops an electronic profile that enables users to verify their identity and is currently being piloted on a voluntary basis for individuals using a limited range of public services. SNP Ministers will consider broadening its application if the initial trials are successful, integrating it into additional aspects of public life.

However, public concerns regarding the ScotAccount digital identity system in Scotland have been highlighted by privacy advocates, [10] such as Big Brother Watch, who have compared it to a “Big Brother” system. Key issues include the possibility of the system becoming mandatory, its vulnerability to hacking, and the potential for increased government surveillance. Although the Scottish government asserts that the system is designed to facilitate access to services and is not compulsory, [11] campaigners express concern about the potential for future expansion of its usage. Madeleine Stone, [12] the Legal and Policy Officer at Big Brother Watch said, “Digital identity systems are a honeypot for criminals and hackers. These plans could give the Scottish government free rein to build huge population wide-datasets and to share the personal information of millions of users between government departments. We urgently need a legal right to non-digital ID, otherwise such schemes could become a mandatory ID system in all but name, disadvantaging the millions of people in this country who rely on physical documents and letters, and cannot or choose not to use digital identity systems.”