People buying alcohol to be able to prove their age in pubs and restaurants using digital ID on phone apps

Drinkers will be able to prove they are over 18 by flashing a digital ID on their smartphone under new rules coming into force today.Pubs, bars, restaurants, music venues and shops across England and Wales can now accept approved digital proof-of-age apps alongside traditional forms of identification such as passports and driving licences.The move means customers will no longer necessarily have to carry physical ID when heading out for a drink, with ministers claiming the technology will make age checks quicker, easier and more secure.But the move could prove controversial among privacy campaigners, who have warned that digital ID must not become effectively compulsory for people who do not want to use it.Customers will be able to choose from a range of approved providers, including the Post Office, Yoti and Luciditi, with the Government taking a technology-agnostic approach rather than dictating exactly how individual apps must work.The new system is designed to allow people to prove they are over 18 without handing over unnecessary personal information such as their full name, address or date of birth.Instead, users could tap their phone against a reader or display a temporary QR code which can be scanned by staff.For example, Yoti's system uses facial verification to ensure the person using the app is the same person who originally registered for it. Pubs, bars, restaurants, music venues and shops across England and Wales can now accept approved digital proof-of-age apps alongside traditional forms of identification such as passports and driving licences (stock)The app then produces a QR code which can be scanned using a free checker app by the business. The code confirms whether the customer is over 18, while being time-limited to make it harder for people to share or copy it.The Government has also insisted the technology must be capable of preventing people from simply borrowing an older friend's or relative's phone to get around the checks.Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock said the new option would allow people to avoid carrying physical identification.She said it would 'mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information' meaning people could 'feel safer on a night out''.The hospitality industry has welcomed the change, although it has urged ministers to ensure businesses are not landed with excessive costs or bureaucracy.Allen Simpson, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality, said the new rules were a 'positive step'.He added the industry would work with government to ensure the voluntary system's roll-out was not 'burdensome' for hospitality businesses.This would mean ensuring there were multiple providers for venues to choose from and that the system was cost-efficient, Simpson said.The Government says different digital ID services should ultimately be able to work across venues, meaning customers should not have to download a different app for every pub or shop.It also wants the systems to work without mobile data or Wi-Fi, helping people use them in areas with poor connectivity.The change does not alter the legal drinking age, which remains 18, nor does it remove existing safeguards designed to prevent underage sales.Businesses will still be able to use physical identification, although the new rules mean they are no longer legally required to restrict age verification to physical documents.The Government's plans follow a 2024 consultation in which 72 per cent of respondents backed allowing digital identities to be used for age verification when buying alcohol. The change does not alter the legal drinking age, which remains 18, nor does it remove existing safeguards designed to prevent underage sales (stock)The technology could eventually be expanded to allow people to prove their age when buying tobacco and vapes.But campaigners have warned that the convenience of digital ID should not come at the expense of people who cannot or do not want to use the technology.Jasleen Chaggar of Big Brother Watch said while having multiple ways to prove your identity was helpful, the Government should ensure that digital ID did not become effectively mandatory 'as it would shut out millions of people'.'Many people have legitimate reasons for relying on physical ID, whether out of choice, privacy and security concerns, or because they lack the digital skills or means to use digital ID,' she said.'The Government should expressly prohibit businesses from requiring digital IDs for age checks without offering reasonable alternatives,' she added.The development comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham scrapped Keir Starmer's much wider digital ID programme shortly after entering Downing Street in July.Starmer had unveiled plans for a national digital ID scheme in September last year, with the system intended to help tackle illegal working and eventually become mandatory for Right to Work checks.The plan attracted fierce opposition from privacy campaigners and became a political headache for Labour, with a petition against the scheme attracting around three million signatures.Burnham subsequently cancelled the programme as part of what his allies described as a 'reset of priorities', redirecting resources towards tackling the cost-of-living crisis.The new alcohol rules are separate from that abandoned national ID programme and rely on certified private-sector digital verification services rather than requiring everyone to obtain a Government-issued digital ID.The Government says such systems can actually improve privacy because a venue can establish that someone is over 18 without being shown the additional personal information contained on a passport or driving licence.Parliament's House of Commons Library has similarly noted that digital credentials can be designed to confirm that someone is over 18 without revealing their exact age or other identifying information, although privacy groups have raised concerns about potential data breaches, profiling, surveillance and digital exclusion.For now, the choice remains with customers and businesses: drinkers can continue using physical ID, while those who prefer to leave their passport or driving licence at home can use an approved digital alternative.