Jay Stanley challenges Grossman's digital-ID choice argument
Jay StanleyACLU senior policy analyst
Stanley rejects confidence that consumer spending choices alone will preserve alternatives to digital identification.
Responding to
Consumer choice will allow people to decide where to identify themselves with digital ID and where to remain anonymous.
“It’s a very comforting thought that we as consumers will have the power to stop omnipresent ID demands by, apparently, simply voting with our pocketbooks. If only we could have any faith that will be true.”
Analysis
Where this statement fits
Jay Stanley challenges Ian Grossman's digital-ID consumer-choice argument
In an October 22 essay, the ACLU's Jay Stanley disputes Ian Grossman's assurance that consumers can choose when to identify themselves. Grossman, who leads the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, told PBS in July that adoption is voluntary. Stanley argues that digital ID could become a practical requirement as businesses and public services stop supporting alternatives.
Source and context
Analysis
About this source
Stanley uses the July interview to question whether market choice will preserve practical alternatives to digital identification.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Stanley quotes Grossman's July assurance that consumers will decide where they are identified.
After the quotation
Stanley then cites urban planning researcher Seth LaJeunesse's account of how new technologies can move from optional to effectively required, and applies it to digital IDs.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The subject is reliance on consumer choice as protection against digital ID becoming a practical requirement. Stanley rejects confidence that consumer spending choices alone will preserve alternatives to digital identification.
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More from this case
Read the full caseIan Grossman says consumers can choose where to use digital ID
“I think overall, the consumer will drive that demand and they will decide where they want to accept to be identified versus where they're gonna look for another alternative where they want to stay anonymous”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Jay Stanley challenges Grossman's digital-ID choice argument". First published: 2026-10-23. Last updated: 2026-10-23. https://disputeindex.com/events/6542-stanley-rejects-confidence-that-consumer-spending-choices-alone