The SVS only gives a bonus for dental prevention to people with a digital ID
DAs part of the “Smile Together” campaign, the Social Insurance Institute for the Self-Employed (SVS) is currently awarding a financial bonus of 100 euros to everyone who has had a dental examination over the course of a calendar year. The catch: The campaign is only aimed at those people who have an ID Austria. Anyone who rejects this digital signature or who can no longer use it for age or other reasons will be disadvantaged as it will not be technically possible for them to participate.
Many people don’t particularly enjoy digitalization. They fear that they will become victims of total surveillance – or that their data could easily fall into the wrong hands due to digitalization. Unfortunately, there have been a few examples of this in the past: hackers stole millions of data sets – including sensitive health information – and sold them online. In 2013, there was a large-scale illegal access to insured person data at the main association of social insurance providers. In 2011, hackers published data that had leaked onto the Internet through a data leak at the Tyrolean Regional Health Insurance Fund. Not least because of this, an ever-increasing number of people are demanding the right to remain an “analog” human being.
“Data breaches, leaks and successful hacker attacks have shown that digital data collection is highly problematic!”
LAbg. Joachim Aigner, MFG-Austria federal party chairman
Registration for the “Smile Together” campaign can only be done via the svsGO customer portal or the svsGO app. The crux of the matter is that registration in the customer portal or app is only possible using ID-Austria. The fact that the SVS only wants to pay out the financial bonus to ID Austria users creates indirect pressure to register for this service. This intention was also confirmed in writing by the SVS when we asked: “Maybe this is even a good opportunity for many insured people to register for ID Austria.“It is pointed out that ID Austria can be used from any PC even without a smartphone.
“We need the right to remain analogue citizens. We reject putting pressure on citizens to accept a digital ID!”
LAbg. Dagmar Häusler, BSc., MFG-Austria Federal Party Chairman-Deputy.
While the MFG demands the right to remain an analogue citizen, politics and administration are working in the other direction. Everything is supposed to be transferred to the digital world under the guise of supposed “simplification”. However, the digital identity “ID Austria” gives cause for concern in several respects:
1. Data security and privacy
Using ID Austria results in leaving a so-called digital footprint. This can of course be tracked by both official authorities and, in the case of data security problems, by criminals. The collection and merging of data when used by banks or when traveling is not necessarily in the interest of citizens.
2. Access and Inclusivity
ID Austria is primarily designed for use by smartphone owners. It is rightly criticized that this digital ID could become a prerequisite for participation in many services – which excludes people without digital access.
3. Dependence on private companies
Private service providers are also integrated into the ID Austria system as “ID Austria Service Providers”. This raises the fear that these providers will intentionally or through system errors obtain user data that is none of their business without the consent of those affected. The involvement of private companies raises questions of dependence or possible influence.
4. Coercion and social pressure
The SVS example shown above also shows that the use of ID Austria is gradually becoming a necessity. People who are against its use are put under pressure. This pressure already arises from the fact that services cannot be used without ID Austria.
“There are many reasons why people are unable to participate digitally: rejection, age, health and also wealth. Nobody should be discriminated against because of this!”
LAbg. Manuel Krautgartner, MFG-OÖ Klubobmann
The People – Freedom – Fundamental Rights (MFG) party is convinced that no one should be excluded from services because they do not have a digital ID or cannot or do not want to use it for whatever reason.
One affected person writes to us: “I don’t have an ID-Austria and won’t apply for one. This means that I am one of the people who have to forego the SVS bonus. I don’t think this exclusion process is okay. My concern would be to grant or ensure access to certain things even for older people without high-tech and ID.”
“It is the basic understanding of our party that there should be no discrimination against citizens – and that is what we are fighting for,” explains LAbg. Joachim Aigner, MFG-Austria federal party chairman. We call on the SVS to reconsider this discriminatory offer and not to install such “digital hurdles” for the insured in the future.
Questions & Contact:
MFG Austria
(+43 732) 93167 6500
presse@mfg-oe.at
https://www.mfg-oe.at/