People will be able to easily and quickly prove their identity
using digital methods instead of having to rely on traditional
physical documents, under new plans unveiled by the government
today.
Following a public consultation, the government has announced it
will introduce legislation to make digital identities as trusted
and secure as official documents such as passports and driving
licences.
Digital identities, which are a virtual form of ID, reduce the
time, effort and expense that sharing physical documents can take
when people need to provide legal proof of who they are, for
example when buying a home or starting a new job.
A new Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (ODIA) will be
set up in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as
an interim governing body for digital identities.
Digital identity solutions can be accessed in a number of ways
such as via a phone app or website and can be used in-person or
online to verify a person’s identity. It will be for people and
businesses to decide what digital identity technology works for
them to prove their identity, should they choose to create a
digital identity at all.
For example, if a person wants to prove they are over 18 to buy
age-restricted products, they could create a digital identity
with a trusted organisation by sharing personal information such
as their name and date of birth. This digital identity could then
be used to prove to a retailer they are over-18, without the need
to reveal the personal information used to create the digital
identity, boosting users’ privacy, unlike physical documents
which may disclose date of birth, name and address.
The ODIA will have the power to issue an easily recognised
trustmark to certified digital identity organisations, to prove
they meet the security and privacy standards needed to handle
people’s data in a safe and consistent way.
The ODIA will ensure trust-marked organisations adhere to the
highest standards of security and privacy.
Digital identities can also help tackle fraud, which hit record
highs with an estimated 5 million
cases in the year ending September 2021, by reducing the
amount of personal data shared online and making it harder for
fraudsters to obtain and use stolen identities.
The government intends to bring forward the necessary legislation
when parliamentary time allows to:
- Establish a robust and secure accreditation and certification
process and trustmark so organisations can clearly prove they are
meeting the highest security and privacy standards needed to use
digital identities.
- Create a legal gateway to allow trusted organisations to
carry out verification checks against official data held by
public bodies to help validate a person’s identity.
- Confirm the legal validity of digital forms of identification
are equal to physical forms of identification, such as physical
passports
It is committed to ensuring digital identities are not compulsory
and people will still be able to use available paper
documentation.
Data Minister said:
This government is committed to unlocking the power of data to
benefit people across the UK.
The legislation we’re proposing will ensure that there are
trusted and secure ways for people and organisations to use
digital identities, should they choose to.
, Parliamentary Secretary
to the Cabinet Office, said;
The government is delivering a number of ambitious and
interlinked policy initiatives to prepare the UK for the digital
world, and to improve the lives of businesses and citizens.
These initiatives, alongside enabling legislation, will help
ensure the UK is able to take full advantage of the opportunities
that digital identities and the wider digital economy have to
offer.
I would like to thank everyone who participated in the
consultation exercise. By working together, and sharing
knowledge, experience and expertise, we will continue to deliver
transformative digital policies.
In advance of the proposed legislation, landlords, letting agents
and employers will be able to use certified new technology to
carry out the right to work and the right to rent checks online
from the 6th April, 2022 and prove their eligibility to work or
rent more easily.
Sue Daley, Director for Technology and Innovation, techUK said:
Today’s announcements are a positive step forward in the UK’s
implementation of digital identity. techUK has welcomed DCMS’s
efforts in working with industry to get us to where we are today.
Given the next steps now being taken, continued cooperation
between industry and government remains the best chance for a
successful implementation of a digital identity ecosystem in the
UK. However, we must also ensure we bring citizens on this
journey with us: building public trust and confidence in Digital
ID must be a key priority as we move forward.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Please find a link to the digital identities and consultation
response here
