The UK and other countries have pushed for digital cards before, but they've typically been shot down due to high costs, fears about government spying or both -- needless to say, those worries have only gotten worse in recent years. It's doubtful Estonia's global ID concept will spread to other countries in the near future as a result. With that said, the move is likely to boost not just the country's own welfare, but those of many people abroad. Getting that identity lets you quickly launch or participate in a business, authenticate on many local web services and even send heavily encrypted email. The nation hopes to have 10 million of these virtual Estonians (nearly eight times its actual population of 1.3 million) by 2025, so it's clearly counting on a lot of interest in its technology.