A National Data Library could give the govt unfettered access into the private life of every individual while paving the way for a complete surveillance state: perspective
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change calls for a digital ID-linked National Data Library for the entire UK in order to feed AI systems for government services.
Two weeks after former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke with Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison on the same topic at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, UAE, Blair’s institute has published a lengthy blueprint for the creation and execution of a National Data Library.
According to the report, “Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library:”
“The National Data Library (NDL) has the potential to become a vital piece of enabling infrastructure for public-service delivery and economic growth in the United Kingdom.
“It is intended to unlock the full potential of public-sector data by enabling secure, seamless, quick and scalable access to linked data sets.”
“None of this would be possible without efforts to improve the broader data infrastructure, including efforts around interoperability and digital identity”
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library, February 2025
The UK National Data Library is envisioned to house all of Britain’s data, including that related to:
- Health
- Energy
- Households
- Pensions
- Agriculture
- Education
- Labor
- Taxation
- Justice
- And so much more
The idea is to create a unified, interoperable library that links data on basically everyone and everything that exists in the UK.
None of this will be possible without installing a digital identity scheme for all individuals.
“The UK should introduce a unique personal identifier to support accurate and efficient data linkage across public services […] A universal personal identifier, integrated with the GOV.UK Wallet app and associated credentials, will be necessary to deliver personalized services at scale”
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library, February 2025
According to the report, “Effective data integration across central and local government depends on harmonized personal identifiers.”
These “Harmonized personal identifiers, using a consistent number to refer to the same entity in different places, should be introduced to improve interoperability and linkage across government systems.”
The Blair Institute sees the UK National Data Library not as some “giant data lake that centralizes all government-held data in one place,” but rather, “a secure environment for discovering, accessing, and using linked public-sector data across government departments.”
Interoperability is the theme here, and the NDL is all about linking all data from all agencies and departments together.
“A federated data-sharing model should be implemented, ensuring that data sets remain at their source while being securely linked”
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library, February 2025
“The NDL should create a network of National Data Librarians embedded within key government departments and services, including the NHS“
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library, February 2025
With all data being linked together, the Tony Blair Institute wants this National Data Library to have data librarians who would be in charge of doling out access to the data through membership cards called “Reader Passes.”
According to the report, “These officials will act as cross-government advisors, ensuring that data are accessible, usable and aligned with real-world needs.
“Their role will include identifying opportunities for data linkage within and across public bodies, ensuring key data sets are connected to maximize impact.”
Ordinary individuals will not be granted access to this data.
Instead it will be reserved for members only, consisting of government officials, civil servants, academics, and businesses large and small who will have to pay or otherwise prove their trustworthiness to obtain their “Reader Pass.”
“The NDL should introduce a Reader Pass (a kind of digital-library membership card), defining user permissions based on credentials, compliance and past usage”
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library, February 2025
According to the report, the Reader Pass “would involve several tiers of access, ranging from a basic user account streamlining open-data access to researchers who have completed information-governance training or civil servants operating under safeguards such as the Official Secrets Acts.
For non-government users, a Reader Pass “could include a nominal administrative fee, supporting the infrastructure needed to manage access while keeping the model simple and accessible (though the fee could be waived in some cases, such as for recipients of Global Talent visas).”
The Reader Pass would include “a tiered data-access fee structure should be developed, based on the type of organization or individual accessing the data” where “large private companies should contribute more, reflecting the commercial value they gain from enhanced insights and AI-model training.”
Meanwhile, “academic institutions, small organizations and independent researchers should benefit from discounted rates.”
Therefore, access to the National Data Library would be pay-to-play in many cases.
“There is growing demand among local government authorities to access local residents’ data, currently locked away in Whitehall, in order to provide better preventative and proactive services”
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library, February 2025
Eventually, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change wants personal identifiable data to be made available, but this comes with legal and ethical challenges surrounding privacy and security.
“As the NDL matures, it must evolve to support the use of identifiable data for high-impact applications, where anonymized data sets alone are insufficient,” the report reads.
The authors claim that “there is growing demand among local government authorities to access local residents’ data, currently locked away in Whitehall, in order to provide better preventative and proactive services.
“However, integrating identifiable data within the NDL’s more streamlined data-access processes introduces heightened privacy and security considerations, requiring strict governance, clear safeguards and a well-defined access framework.”
When it comes to public and private entities worrying about any legal ramifications for sharing an individual’s personal data, the authors argue that actions taken during COVID-19 lockdowns could serve as a precedence that would allow for the collection and use of that data.
“Departments may remain hesitant to share data due to legal complexities and potential liabilities […] During Covid-19, emergency measures allowed general-practice data to be shared more comprehensively […] A similar approach could help departments overcome legal and reputational concerns, particularly in complex areas such as health, tax and justice data”
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library, February 2025
“Even with the right expertise and infrastructure in place, departments may remain hesitant to share data due to legal complexities and potential liabilities,” the report reads.
“A precedent for this exists: during Covid-19, emergency measures allowed general-practice data to be shared more comprehensively, supported by legal safeguards and government-backed indemnities.
“A similar approach could help departments overcome legal and reputational concerns, particularly in complex areas such as health, tax and justice data.”
When it comes to linking health data in the NDL, the authors recommend that the British government take legislative action by:
- Amending section 65(4) of the Digital Economy Act 2017 (DEA) to include health and social-care data
- Using the Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 (COPI), which were employed during Covid-19 to enable rapid data sharing
The emergency actions taken by governments during COVID-19 lockdowns are now being used to justify more government access to an individual’s most intimate details.
“Household-level data integration could identify financial distress early, enabling targeted support that prevents homelessness rather than reacting to it too late“
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library, February 2025
The authors of the report are aware of how access to a database of the entire kingdom can be abused, and they anticipate this scenario.
“To maintain accountability, the NDL should mandate users to commit to clear terms of use, with enforceable consequences for misuse.
“These should include suspension or permanent revocation of the Reader Pass for unauthorized data sharing, and the introduction a Data Offenders Register for those who abuse this trust.”
Who would define abuse in these cases? The government?
What if the government abuses its power, but justifies it for whatever crisis or emergency it declares, whether real or perceived?
“The NDL’s impact would be amplified when integrated with the National Policy Twin (NPT), a computational twin that allows policymakers to test interventions before implementation”
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library, February 2025
There are countless ways in which the National Data Library could serve as a public good, but there are equally countless ways in which it could be abused.
To get an idea of the type of data linkages the Tony Blair Institute wants, the authors say that “integrating National Health Service and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data sets could enable tailored return-to-work programs, improving productivity and public health.
“Linking planning, environmental and energy data could accelerate housing and green-energy solutions, while integrating education data sets could help identify links between pupils’ assessments and economic mobility, shaping more effective teaching strategies.
“The NDL could integrate HMRC, NHS and DWP data, allowing governments to identify health-related barriers to work and develop targeted employment and welfare programs that get people back into the workforce faster.”
“The NDL should establish a metadata catalogue that allows users to efficiently discover and understand available data sets, functioning like a library index”
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Governing in the Age of AI: Building Britain’s National Data Library, February 2025
In the end, the authors argue that “the NDL is set to be a cornerstone of the government’s efforts to deliver its five cross-departmental missions: driving economic growth, achieving its clean-energy goals, tackling inequality, transforming health care and strengthening public safety.”
However, one could argue that the creation of a National Data Library could give the government unfettered access into the private life of every individual while paving the way for a complete surveillance state that uses the data to incentivize, coerce, or otherwise manipulate human behavior into compliance.
It all starts with the acceptance of digital identity schemes.
Image Source: AI-generated by Grok
