'Insulting': UK government's new digital ID ad sparks backlash

Menzies Research Centre’s Freya Leach has weighed in on the UK government’s new digital ID advertisement. It comes as the UK government plans to roll out a new law allowing shoppers as well as pub and bar-goers to use their phones to prove their age when buying alcohol. However, the UK government's new ad has received criticism as it appears to paint anyone who uses a physical ID as someone who's just clumsy and outdated. Ms Leach expressed her concerns about the ad, saying it left a "sour taste" in her mouth. "Depicting anyone who prefers the old school ID as somehow stupid or bumbling is just insulting," she said. "While she acknowledged that digital IDs can be convenient, she emphasised that it should not be mandated and that people should have the option to choose.