Australia
The Optus hack is being used to argue for the urgent introduction of a digital identity for Australian citizens.
Federal Finance Minister Katy Gallagher is to meet with digital ministers in the wake of the data breach to work on a national digital identity system. Australia’s big four banks have all indicated their eagerness to assist with the project, according to national reports.
More than 1.2 million Optus customers were directly affected by hackers who accessed customers’ personal information.
United Kingdom
Identity verification technology provider InnoValor is expanding its business with opening an office in London, UK.
Jim Slevin has been appointed regional director UK and Ireland along with global responsibility for InnoValor’s growing Travel and Borders sector.
InnoValor is behind the NFC-based identity verification technology ReadID, which allows ID cards and passports to be verified using a smartphone, for example during the onboarding process of new banking customers or at border control points.
The ReadID technology has been part of the EU Settlement Scheme application from Home Office, with more than 6,7 million applicants. It is also active in markets such as real-estate, right-to-work and security clearance checks, with customers including Thirdfort and TrustID. As part of its travel and borders sector work, ReadID was also used in the recent Eurostar SmartCheck trials, with partners iProov and Entrust.
United States
On October 1, Circle, the US dollar stablecoin USDC issuer, announced the launch of an institutional digital identity system based on Verit, an open source framework for the issuance, custody, and verification of decentralized identity credentials.
Institutions with Circle accounts and MetaMask institutional wallets can apply for KYB (Know Your Business) credentials, enabling web and mobile applications and smart contracts to verify user permissions (including usage rights, time, location, etc.) for licensing on-chain activity.
Circle said eligible businesses will have direct control over how, when, and where their identity attributes are shared, and will not send or store any personally identifiable data on-chain.
Circle has partnered with TrueFi to support Verite KYB credentials to access TrueFi’s permission lending platform, which enables institutions to transact with authenticated counterparties they can trust.
United Kingdom
The government’s right to work guidelines, calling on businesses to use digital ID to check their employees can legally work in the UK, have come into force.
While the guidelines were introduced on 6 April 2022, they officially came into effect on 1 October 2022. This means employers will only be able to hire new employees by using digital identity checks or meeting them face to face.
The government has created a digital identity trust framework with a range of digital identity service providers (IDSPs) businesses can choose from.
Canada
ATB Ventures has launched its suite of digital identity software products for enterprises in Canada, consisting of the Oliu platform, no-code web app Oliu Studio, and digital wallet solution Proof.
The Oliu suite addresses basic digital identity needs like verification and authentication, according to the announcement, but can also help with more advanced challenges.
It is anchored in the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework, ATB Ventures says, with a decentralized digital identity architecture that avoids a single point of system-wide attack hackers can target.
United Kingdom
Nearly a third of UK consumers believe that carrying a physical ID document is “outdated” (32 percent) and nearly half would prefer not to have to carry a physical document as proof of identity (45 percent), a survey commissioned by the UK Post Office has found.
The survey also reveals that more than a quarter of consumers in the UK would stop using a physical wallet altogether if they no longer had to ‘carry physical ID with them (28 percent) and that 27 percent are carrying their physical wallet around with them less than they were last year, a proportion that rises to 37 percent for those aged under 34.
The most common reason for needing to show either a physical or a digital identity credential in the UK in the past 12 months was collecting a parcel, followed by supplying proof of age for restricted items in shops, registering for a bank account, checking into a hotel or other accommodation, and gaining entry to venues, the Post Office says.
Canada
CycurID Technologies has launched the imme Proprietary Personal Digital Identity and Privacy Software App. The app is now free to download, and available for iOS and Android users on the Apple App store and Google Play store.
CycurID says imme (I’m me) is a proprietary, closed-loop encrypted identity verification and privacy platform with a person-centric focus that does not use third party software in the authentication or screening of individuals. All automated with its adaptive AI technology, imme reportedly removes human intervention and potential data leaks to third parties.
United Kingdom / United States
Mastercard has teamed up with machine learning fraud platform Ravelin to deliver an enhanced fraud solution. Incorporating digital identity verification capabilities from Ekata and real-time fraud insights from Ethoca, Ravelin will help merchants validate a consumer’s identity without adding friction to the process.
“We all want secure and seamless experiences,” said Chris Reid, EVP of Identity Solutions at Mastercard. “Ravelin shares our longstanding commitment to building and reinforcing trust in the digital economy. By bringing our capabilities together, we can help quick commerce merchants better assess fraud before a payment is authorized, improving the checkout experience.”
During a user’s first transaction, Ravelin will draw on Ekata’s transaction risk API to verify the user’s identity. Ekata then provides a risk score, enabling businesses to make more accurate decisions. Post-transaction, Ravelin will help merchants deflect fraud and prevent chargebacks with Ethoca Alerts and Ethoca Consumer Clarity.
United Kingdom
OCR Labs Global has received the official UK Government accreditation under the UK Digital Identity & Attributes Trust Framework as a certified digital identity service provider (IDSP).
OCR Labs Global says it is the most accredited supplier of digital ID checks services in the market of the 13 companies accredited by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) to be certified for Right to Work, Right to Rent and criminal records checks.
From October 1, 2022, measures for remote digital ID checks changed, and employers will now only be able to hire new employees by using digital identity checks or meeting them face to face.
Netherlands
Consumers hiring bicycles from micromobility provider Swapfiets are the first to be able to sign up for a new service from Dutch bank ABN Amro that enables them to use a single app to create a digital ID and then use it both to sign up and to pay for third-party services.
The bank has developed the ID&Pay app to replace “cumbersome onboarding and payment processes with a single online identification and payment functionality within the bank’s own secure environment” and is piloting it with Swapfiets before a broader rollout.
The app allows users to create a secure digital ID on a centrally controlled database, link it to their bank account and use it to authorise payments to third parties whilst sharing only “the minimum data elements required for that specific service”, ABN Amro says.
