The problem is that the government is already a gatekeeper in most if not all of these sorts of activities. The only thing different, fundamentally, about digital ID is that it is easier to implement efficiently with a smaller bureaucracy than the current system. I’m not saying this is a nothingburger. The level of threat the government poses is definitely increased by digital ID. But the fact of the matter is that most citizens are so used to government friction in their day-to-day lives that making it digital and streamlining certain aspects of functionality will actually be perceived by many as a good thing. It’s hard to convince them that one of the biggest things protecting us from government overreach has been the inefficiency of bureaucracy.