National ID cards aren’t vital to digital ID progress, according to Nick Mothershaw chief identity strategist at the non-profit Open Identity Exchange (OIX).
Mothershaw was responding to former prime minister Sir Tony Blair’s suggestion that digital IDs offer the best solution to controlling irregular immigration.
“There is a misconception that in order for people to prove who they are digitally and with trust, there must be a central national ID database or that we must all have a government issued national ID card. This is not the case at all,” said Mothershaw.
“A well-designed digital ID can be issued by a certified private sector provider and stored in a person’s own ‘digital wallet’ for them to control who it is shared with, without the ability for any one organisation or government to follow their movements. The UK’s Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework is key to helping us get to this position.
“It’s vital that misconceptions about digital ID being national ID cards do not stall its progress in the UK, as digital ID has the potential to drive huge economic growth through the UK’s digital economy, beyond its immediate benefits. We urge the new government quickly enact into law the proposed Digital Verification Service (DVS) legislation that supports the use of trusted digital ID so that the UK can move forward with its digital ID strategy.”
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Focus on verification
The Government has said national ID cards are not on the table, and instead Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has said he wants to make it easier for people to access public services using the One Login for Government system.
“Right now, the priority when it comes to accessing digital services or online services or services per se is actually about verification,” Kyle told ITV’s Peston on Monday. “ID cards conjure images of a universal service that affects everybody online and offline and everywhere else.”
Meanwhile, director for government innovation at the Tony Blair Institute, Jeegar Kakkad, told POLITICO that Blair’s ideas have been misunderstood, and that the organisation is not advocating for mandatory digital ID cards.
“Everyone loves to talk about ID cards or government ID. That’s not actually our proposal,” Kakkad said, noting that TBI’s vision is for people to be given “the ability to connect [their] data across the public sector.”
