Following a public consultation, the UK government has announced it will introduce legislation to make digital identities as trusted and secure as official documents such as passports and driving licences.
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.
The government said 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 plans 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 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
Digital identities not compulsory
However, it maintained is committed to ensuring digital identities are not compulsory and people will still be able to use available paper documentation.
“This government is committed to unlocking the power of data to benefit people across the UK,” said Data Minister Julia Lopez in a statement.
“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.”
“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,” said Heather Wheeler MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office.
“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.”
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 April 6, 2022 and prove their eligibility to work or rent more easily.
“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,” said Sue Daley, director for technology and innovation, techUK.
“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.”
