DigiD is still not working, and the SMS alternative is starting to disappear from government services. The DigiD January update introduced a hard-coded, unnecessary feature availability check dependency on Google Mobile Services. An honest mistake at best, or masquerading as an anti-tampering measure at worst. It does nothing more than create a vendor lock-in, directly contradicting the government’s stated goal of reducing dependence on foreign tech giants and increasing the accessibility to digital government services.
The Dutch government must practice what it preaches. By enforcing this update, they are pushing users away from privacy-respecting solutions and further into the arms of invasive big tech companies. It’s a step in the wrong direction.
In stead of figuring out how to work around this dependency, we can also reach out to the DigiD X/Twitter account (other contact options here) and express our concerns. Let’s ensure that the Dutch government aligns its actions with its principles of privacy and data sovereignty. Don’t let this update hinder your choice of a privacy-conscious digital environment.