The digitization of identity is being sold as progress – secure, voluntary and data-efficient. So is Namirial’s article on the EUDI wallet in the financial sector. But what is presented as a convenient solution for banking transactions turns out, upon closer examination, to be a dangerous step: towards control instead of freedom, towards surveillance instead of self-determination. History shows that it starts as voluntary, but eventually there is no alternative. Anyone who believes that the EUDI wallet is just a technical tool misjudges its political explosiveness.
“Everything is voluntary – until it becomes mandatory”
The EU praises the EUDI wallet as a voluntary and secure tool for digital identity, data protection and convenience – beneficial for both citizens and institutions. But history and practice teach us that voluntary participation is often just the first step towards a creeping requirement.
Voluntariness – a systematic error
The EUDI wallet is marketed as a voluntary offer that will only become mandatory when processes become more efficient. But who would want to avoid openness when most services are only available digitally? Banks require EUDI to open an account, insurance companies to sign contracts – soon the “digital wallet” will be the de facto key to social life. Its gradual expansion into an implicit requirement is therefore inevitable.
Banks as data exploiters – the private market prioritizes the common good
Banks are private companies, not public sector fiduciaries – and they will exploit EUDI data. Digital identity makes it easier to share sensitive information with other financial service providers. The promise of data-efficient identity pales in comparison to lucrative analytics, cross-sell offers and data transactions between commercial banks and fintech companies.
The state – not a legitimate, but a driving force
No one voted democratically for the introduction of a digital identity, such as the EUDI wallet. And certainly not for Agenda 2030, under the guise of which many of these projects are being pushed through. In Switzerland, a similar law was rejected in 2021 with 64.4% of the votes against – a clear rejection by citizens (authad.de, wi.uni-muenster.de, de.wikipedia.org). Nevertheless, politicians and administrators are steadfastly committed to concepts that work closely with private sector service providers, as if the vote had never been taken.
Agenda 2030 – a digital Trojan horse
The EU rhetoric around the 2030 Agenda is omnipresent: sustainability, global cooperation, digital transformation. This makes it easier for Germany to sell mass digital control as “green progress”. The EUDI project is funded through pilot programs as a contribution to the agenda – while alternative, analog or decentralized identity concepts are marginalized, receiving little financial support and political visibility.
Before the start block: data structure – tracking and loss of control
The EUDI wallet aims to provide data protection and control, but technological gaps still exist. Netzpolitik.org warns of numerous gaps: data storage is the theory – but what does data logistics look like in the cloud and server farms? Who owns it, who manages this infrastructure? The technical implementation has not been sufficiently explained (netzpolitik.org).
The eIDAS regulation even criticizes the lack of open source requirements: server components can remain secret, which allows for potential backdoors and makes democratic control more difficult (de.wikipedia.org).
Security? – a ticking time bomb
From a security perspective, the EUDI wallet is anything but risk-free. Experts warn of a “catastrophe with potentially deadly consequences” – especially from 2027, when every country must implement a solution (paymentandbanking.com). The fact that a smartphone, which can be lost, hacked or stolen, represents your entire identity is extremely dangerous (magazin.abraxas.ch). Even in the testing phase, the southern bloc of data protection is still legally fragile.
Panopticon Digital: Complete Surveillance
Critics like epicenter.works point out that with the digital ID, every transaction is recorded – social behavior is made transparent and almost nothing remains anonymous. The ID mutates into a transparent citizen: high-level surveillance is institutionally enabled (de.wikipedia.org).
Summary: Propaganda far from practice – with visionary words, without democratic basis
The EUDI wallet may look modern and user-friendly, but it is a blinding tool of surveillance and control. Agenda 2030 serves as a narrative justification for a centralized, standardized, and privately managed identity infrastructure. Citizens should not fall into comfort traps – freedom begins where digital platforms remain democratic, transparent, and selective.
