Australian broadcaster Rowan Dean has issued a stark warning. The global push toward digital identification systems is not a step forward for convenience or security, but a leap into what he calls “the end of democracy as we know it.”
Speaking on Sky News Australia, Dean outlined his belief that digital IDs are a gateway to total government control, drawing parallels to China’s social credit system and warning of a future where every aspect of daily life is monitored, restricted and dictated by bureaucrats, politicians, and corporate elites.
“A digital ID is the end of democracy as we know it,” Dean began. “It’s an irreversible step into a dystopian future, first with no cash, only digital currency controlled by governments, and eventually the ability for authorities to control and restrict every single aspect of your life.”
Dean referred to material published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which illustrates how a digital identity could become central to all areas of life, from financial services and travel to healthcare, food access, and social media. He warned that what looks like a framework for convenience is in fact the foundation for surveillance and control on a global scale.
“Digital ID schemes potentially give absolute powers of surveillance and control over every aspect of your life to unelected bureaucrats, unscrupulous politicians and greedy corporations,” Dean said. “If you don’t think future authoritarian governments won’t use these powers ruthlessly, then you must have been fast asleep during COVID.”
Dean referenced the use of QR codes and vaccine mandates during the pandemic as evidence of how easily governments can expand and enforce intrusive technologies under the banner of safety.
According to a LifeSite News opinion piece he cited, the move toward digital identity systems has “nothing to do with curbing illegal immigration, securing jobs, or protecting youth online”. Instead, Dean said, it represents the “linchpin of a global surveillance state” being advanced by organisations like the United Nations.
Whistleblower and former Silicon Valley technologist Aman Jabi also featured in Dean’s report, describing how social recognition technology could soon be used to “unlock your digital identity”, turning basic access to daily services into a privilege contingent on compliance.
“The plan,” Jabi warned, “is to lock up humanity in smart cities, a superset of the so-called 15-minute city, where water management means rationing, traffic monitoring means limited mobility, and energy conservation means rationed heat, electricity and fuel.”
Dean noted that UK Labour leader Keir Starmer is already pursuing a mandatory digital ID system under the guise of tackling immigration issues, and he predicted similar efforts could soon appear in Australia.
He also criticised the growing push to tie digital identification to age verification for social media use, calling it a clever way to normalise the system under the pretext of “protecting children.”
“What better way to trick the public into getting a digital ID than linking it to restricting under-16s from social media?” Dean asked. “Suddenly it’s ‘for the kids’, and before you know it, facial recognition and biometric surveillance are part of everyday life.”
As Australia prepares to announce its own policy on age restrictions for under-16s online, Dean warned viewers to listen carefully for key terms like “digital identification,” “biometrics,” and “facial recognition.”
“If you hear those words, you’ll know the fix is in,” he concluded. “Surrender to a digital ID, and you surrender your children’s freedom and your own.”
