UK Govt Reveals Plans to Build Trust in Use of Digital Identities

The UK government has unveiled draft rules for governing the future use of digital identities.

The move is part of the government’s commitment to developing the digital identity market, making it quicker and easier for people to verify themselves using modern technology and create a process as trusted as using passports or bank statements.

The new Trust Framework lays out the draft rules organizations should follow, including the principles, policies, procedures and standards governing the use of digital identity. It outlines areas such as:

• How organizations should handle and protect people’s data
• What security and encryption standards should be followed
• How user accounts should be managed
• How to protect against fraud and misuse

The framework, once finalized, is expected to be brought into law, with specific standards and requirements for organizations which provide or use digital identity services. For example, businesses will be required to have a data management policy which explains how they create, obtain, disclose, protect and delete data, a detailed account recovery process and a procedure for notifying users if they suspect someone has fraudulently accessed their account or used their digital identity.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport – which is working alongside the digital identity community to develop the framework – has also invited the public to contribute.

Digital infrastructure minister, Matt Warman, said: “Establishing trust online is absolutely essential if we are to unleash the future potential of our digital economy.

“Today we are publishing draft rules of the road to guide organizations using new digital identity technology and we want industry, civil society groups and the public to make their voices heard. Our aim is to help people confidently verify themselves while safeguarding their privacy so we can build back better and fairer from the pandemic.”

Emma Lindley, co-founder of Women in Identity, added: “We believe that digital identity systems should be inclusive and accessible for anyone that chooses to use them.

“This collaborative approach by the government in designing the trust framework is a step in the right direction towards accountability across all stakeholders who are involved, and ensures no one is left behind.”