United Kingdom
The Government Digital Service (GDS) has agreed a new contract with Deloitte for the company to continue to support the GOV.UK One Login programme.
It has published the contract award notice, which indicates it came into force on 21 July to run for one year and is valued at £16 million.
This maintains the company’s role as delivery partner, which began in March of last year and was extended in November, taking the total spend to over £28 million, reported Public Technology.
Global
Research from ID Crypt Global reveals that 50 percent of global e-commerce payments are now made via digital wallets.
In 2022, the global e-commerce market generated revenue of £4.9 trillion. Digital wallets accounted for 49 percent of this, which is £2.4 trillion.
The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is the global digital wallet leader, with 69 percent of e-commerce payments, equivalent to £1.7 trillion, making use of the technology.
In North America, 32 percent of payments came through digital wallets, followed by Europe (29 percent), Latin America (21 percent), and the Middle East and Africa (20 percent).
China has the largest e-commerce market in the world, generating revenue of £1.85 trillion in 2022. It’s also the global leader for digital wallet usage which accounts for 81 percent of this total revenue, equivalent to £1.5 trillion.
In India, 50 percent of e-commerce revenue came from a digital wallet, and in Indonesia, the figure is 39 percent.
The UK has the highest proportion of digital wallet revenue outside of the APAC region. The nation’s e-commerce market generated £259 billion in 2022, and £90.6 billion of this, or 35 percent, came via a digital wallet. The UK is followed by Italy (35 percent), the Philippines (33 percent), and USA (32 percent).
Meanwhile, the lowest use of digital wallets is recorded in Turkey (9 percent), the Netherlands (9 percent), and Nigeria (10 percent).
Japan
Japan’s digital IDs program is undergoing a government inspection following a series of high-profile data leaks and registration errors.
Government officials have issued an interim report that found 1,000 new cases in which the My Number national identification cards were mistakenly linked with the medical information of others. Kyodo News reports that 7,400 cases have already been made public.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed ministers to examine all data on My Number cards by the end of November.
India
Okta has announced the establishment of a new office in Bengaluru, India. The company aims to tap into the nation’s growing demand for digital identity solutions and cybersecurity measures.
A recent report by Avendus Capital projects an 18 percent increase in India’s cybersecurity spending between 2020 and 2025. The report also highlights the shift towards cloud-based solutions and the adoption of zero-trust architecture – a space Okta is looking to capture
Kenya
Kenya and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have inked an agreement that will see the UN agency support the rollout of its planned digital identity (Digital ID) scheme.
Under the deal, the UNDP will provide technical assistance and work with the government to mobilise funding and other resources to support the development and implementation of Digital ID.
The Digital ID will be a virtual digital identity for registered persons to support online authentication.
Kenya reportedly hopes to benefit from the UN’s experience gained from supporting at least 25 countries across the world to develop their own digital ID systems.
Canada
LinkedIn members in Canada will soon be able to verify their identity with CLEAR for free. From the LinkedIn app, a member can affirm their identity with the CLEAR Verified (formerly known as Powered by CLEAR) platform, and add a visible indicator to their LinkedIn profile showing the member’s identity has been verified by CLEAR. Beginning this month, LinkedIn’s 22 million Canada-based members will have the option to verify their identity with CLEAR in English or French, using their government-issued ID and a selfie. Existing CLEAR users will be prompted to snap a selfie to verify their identity for use on their LinkedIn profile.
South Korea
South Korea’s Toss Bank says that its IDV software has spotted 600 fake IDs in the six months since it was launched.
Toss executives say it has prevented 12 billion won (US$9 million) in fraud. The bank signed a deal with Alchera for remote identity verification last year.
The bank’s ID system determines whether a photo ID is authentic. If the software determines a photo doesn’t match or if it’s been photographed from a phone screen or printed ID, it will restrict all transactions, including account enrollment, until the account can be verified. The bank claims a 94 percent accuracy rate.
United Kingdom
The UK government is recruiting new advisors for its Biometrics and Forensic Ethics Group (BFEG) which provides recommendations on handling biometric data, forensic material and large data sets used in machine learning.
The UK oversight group plans to hire six new members with experience in domains such as biometrics, AI, data and medical ethics, law and social sciences. The group will provide Home Office ministers with independent ethical advice during the next three years. The application deadline is September 11, 2023.
The news comes amid a wider reshuffle of UK government agencies working on biometrics issues which will see the position of Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner for England and Wales abolished due to the introduction of the new Data Protection and Digital Information Bill. The decision has invited criticism from the likes of the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr. Brian Plastow who argues that removing the office will give the police a “carte blanche to do whatever they like in the biometrics space.”
UK Surveillance Camera and Biometrics Commissioner Fraser Sampson stepped down last week noting that his roles would be rendered irrelevant by the new law which is expected to arrive in early 2024 or later, reported Biometric Update.
