The government wants to introduce a new state e-identification where the Swedish Police Authority can collect Swedes' fingerprints and facial images. The system is described as an investment in security and protection against fraud - but critics warn that Sweden is simultaneously building an ever-larger system of digital control and surveillance.
On Thursday, the government presented the proposal A government e-identification, which means that from December 1, 2026, the Police Authority will start issuing state digital ID documents. The reform is officially described as a security measure to reduce fraud and make Sweden less dependent on private actors such as BankID.
But behind the words ”secure digital identification”, a whole new system is emerging where the state has much greater control over citizens' digital identities than before.
Anyone who applies for the state e-identification must personally provide both a facial image and fingerprints to the Police Authority, so-called biometric data. The data is used for identity verification and part of the information is stored in the storage medium of the e-identification.
At the same time, the Police Authority will be responsible for a comprehensive register of people using the system.
The bill states that personal data in the register may be stored for up to ten years after a case has been closed. It also states that data may be processed to ”take measures for the secure use of government e-identifications” and in some cases be passed on in accordance with law or regulation.
Connecting to the EU Digital Identity System
The government e-identification is not just a Swedish project. The system is also being built to work within the EU's new eIDAS framework and the European Digital Identity Wallet, where member states will gradually connect their digital ID systems.
In practice, this means that the Swedish e-identification will be part of a larger European digital infrastructure where identification, authentication and access to public services are increasingly linked to the same technical system.
Critics argue that this development risks shifting power over citizens' digital identities further away from the individual and closer to the state and supranational structures. Many point out that systems that are initially described as voluntary often become difficult to opt out of when banks, authorities and companies gradually make them standard for everyday services.
”Functional drift” worries
A recurring concern is about so-called functional drift, whereby a system introduced for identification is later used for significantly more purposes than initially promised. Critics highlight the risk that digital IDs could in future be linked to other databases, such as healthcare data, financial services or various forms of access control.
It also raises questions about how much anonymity will remain in a society where more and more services require digital identification.
At the same time, the government emphasizes that the aim is to strengthen security, reduce identity fraud and create an alternative if private solutions are knocked out in the event of, for example, cyber attacks.
- Sweden needs a robust and long-term solution for electronic identification, claims Minister of Civil Affairs Erik Slottner says in the government press release.
The question now is how far the state should be allowed to go in the quest for secure digital identification - and how much privacy the Swedish people are prepared to give up along the way.
Nails in the coffin are now being driven in. From above, because ”they” are holding the hammer. More and more are classified as nails and must be hammered in so that the lid does not fly off when the pressure increases.
Orwell's ”1984” can be considered a caress in comparison.
That's right, and the Swede is standing on the platform as the train whizzes past.
1984 is a novel about a future dystopia, but is used today as an instruction book.
Quite right, and most Swedes do not even react to the dictatorship that is now being introduced.