The UK public supports the government’s plans for the creation of a digital identity trust framework (DIATF), which would require digital identity service providers (IDSPs) to certify themselves against a set of trust credentials.
The UK Government, which is steadily adopting digital ID within government services as well as overseeing private sector digitalisation, introduced the Digital Identity Systems Certification, a pilot scheme, earlier this year.
Since then, a number of IDSPs have applied for certification in accordance with the DIATF, including most recently, ID-Pal which it was announced this week has become a government approved IDSP in partnership for for digital Right to Work and Right to Rent checks in the UK.
The certification is an important seal of trust for any business or government service using a digital ID provider to prevent identity fraud, and also provides reassurance to customers and end-users that data collected and affiliated with government is privacy protected.
Research suggests 84% of people are concerned about the privacy and security of their online data. An initiative by UK Finance, called the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, has spelt out a warning to the public to be super vigilant of potential fraud attempts that in polls official figures say 32% of people have fallen victim to.
Granted DIATF approval, Tim Barnett, CEO at Credas Technologies, said:
“Being able to verify our identity is one area that has become vitally important for both consumer and service provider alike. For example, when we buy or sell a property, we will be required to verify our identity multiple times by a range of different stakeholders, whether it be the estate agent, solicitor and so on. It helps safeguard against criminal activity, which in the vast majority of cases starts with identity fraud”.
87% back the trust framework to establish a robust accreditation process by which private sector schemes like Right to Buy and Right to Work and organisations have a way to show their compliance to the rules of the trust framework.
When leveraging digital identity checks on new workers or home buyers, parties must adhere to requirements in the conveyancing process, such as telling users if there has been a change to their digital identity or fraudulent activity is suspected, having a detailed account recovery process and following guidance on how to choose secure authenticators.