Ben Britton: Australian Digital ID

SUMMARY:
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I loved growing up on the internet in the mid‑90s — those early glory years before social media changed everything — and in this talk I bring that same curious, slightly nostalgic energy while cutting through techno‑jargon to explain why Australia’s proposed Digital ID is a worry. I walk you through the basics: what data actually is (binary 1s and 0s), how it’s written onto disks and flash memory, and how information travels between machines — usually as electrical pulses over cables and often under the ocean on deep‑sea fibre. I’m deliberately plain‑spoken so non‑tech people can follow, and I show how seemingly simple design choices create big security and privacy risks when a government or big tech centralises identity. I’ll explain technical failure modes, surveillance potential, and why decentralised or privacy‑respecting alternatives matter. If you want a clear, Australian perspective on the tech realities behind Digital ID — told with enthusiasm, a touch of nostalgia and a healthy scepticism — this talk is for you. Stick around and ask questions in the comments — I’m keen to hear what you think.

RUMBLE DESCRIPTION:
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Ben Britton here — thanks for the warm intro! In this talk I dive into the nuts and bolts of the Australian Digital ID debate from a technical, plain‑English perspective. I start by taking you back to the mid‑90s internet I grew up on — the glory years before social media — to set the scene. From there I give a short crash course on data: binary code (1s and 0s), how information gets written to CDs, hard drives and flash memory, and what those physical storage decisions actually mean for security and reliability.

Then I shift to how data travels: it’s not magic satellites for most of us, it’s cables — often deep‑sea fibre — carrying electrical pulses between machines. Understanding that physical network is crucial when we talk about centralised Digital ID systems. I explain, in accessible terms, why central points of control and single databases are attractive targets and how mistakes, outages or hostile actors can cause real harm. I also discuss surveillance risks, practical failure modes, and why decentralised, privacy‑preserving designs deserve serious attention.

This isn’t fearmongering — it’s a technical reality check from someone who’s seen the internet evolve. If you’re Australian and curious about what Digital ID really means for privacy, security and everyday life, watch, share, and join the conversation. I’ll keep it simple, honest and Australian. Leave your questions below and I’ll respond.

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