Digital identity in the UK

Neil Slater at Veridas describes the challenges that the UK government’s digital identity ambition will have to address

The last few years have seen an increased commitment from the government to strengthen the UK tech sector. Alongside infrastructure, there has been a growing emphasis on the digital identity space.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology published a strategic overview and set of guidance in February. More recently, the Minister for Tech and Digital Economy, Paul Scully MP gave a speech announcing the intention to enable the widespread use of trusted digital identity throughout the UK economy.

It is hoped that introducing a single digital identity will enable citizens to access services far more easily, eliminating the duplication of effort for both users and backend systems. 

So, what challenges will the government need to overcome to make it a reality?

The data ownership issue

One of the most important challenges in establishing a universal digital identity is determining who will own the data. While there will likely need to be a single body to manage everything, this does not necessarily mean it comes with a single central repository for all the identity data.

A decentralised approach delivered through blockchain is a likely solution, but it’s a complex issue.

Similarly, there is the issue of paying for everything. We’re well used to paying for identity-related services such as passports and various licences, but in the case of a digital identity, where does the money go to, and how is that facilitated?

Are UK citizens ready for a digital identity?

Alongside the technical and infrastructure challenges, one of the greatest issues is overcoming public opinion about the government’s role in managing identity. In 2010, the government decided to scrap its ID card scheme, which was criticised as costly and poorly implemented, as well as being held as a sign of an intrusive surveillance state.

However, over a decade later, much has changed. We have seen rapid developments in the digitisation of society, with COVID particularly shifting public opinion on the convenience of online services.  

Indeed, convenience will be the most important factor in getting the general public on board with a new identity scheme. People quickly tire with having to repeat identification processes over and over again, so providing a fast and reliable alternative will win over the masses. Furthermore, organisations are looking for the most cost-effective and streamlined approach.

However, this convenience will need to be coupled with a reliable, secure service that people feel confident in using safely. Issues such as managing payment data, ownership, access, and use, will also need to be resolved to deliver a high level of public confidence in an identity project.

Confidence in security is paramount

There is a particular generation of digital native that have become fairly blasé about their digital privacy – happy to adopt convenient new digital offerings, accepting that they’ve likely been breached anyway.

For many, however, a secure service will be paramount. The government will need to convince people that their personal data will be stored securely, and that their identity is safeguarded against impersonation from fraudsters.

There is still a level of suspicion and misinformation around biometrics. Some are sceptical of the concept in general and see it as intrusive, others are wary of the threat of impersonation - especially with the rapid advance of deepfake technology. Whilst most people have become more familiar with biometric technology through their smartphones, this level of authentication is not the same as the demands of a digital identity.

Education will be just as important as the system itself, and the private sector has a role to play here. Sectors such as finance, that will be heavily involved can help educate users about the benefits of a single source of digital identity.

What next for digital identites?

The success of a universal digital identity scheme will depend heavily on getting the initial information and biometrics right. It is essential that every participating citizen has the correct data captured and connected to their identity. If this doesn’t start off accurately, it will be close to impossible to correct later.

Defining what counts as secure, accurate identity data will require significant discussion and agreement between the government and any other parties involved in running the programme. It is likely a regulatory body will need to be put in place to manage the process, though this will be challenging unless the scheme is mandatory.

It will be critical to establish agreed standards and deliverables to ensure that collected biometric data is used responsibly and ethically. There must be clearly defined responsibility and chains of accountability for all parties, as well as a high degree of transparency for the processes involved.

Getting biometrics right

A fully secure scheme will require multiple layers of biometrics. A combination of face and voice printing will deliver a high level of security, making it much harder for a fraudster to successfully impersonate someone. There should be no password/username combinations or memorable phrases that can be easily stolen through means like phishing.

This approach is also particularly useful for a nationwide ambition as it only requires the camera and microphone technology readily available in the average phone today. Whilst other biometrics like iris and palm scanning exist, they require a significant hardware investment and can be easily manipulated by fraudsters.

Any digital identity strategy also needs to accommodate those who can’t or won’t participate. Many people, particularly older generations, have no real digital footprint, and there are also vulnerable people who will struggle with the technology or potentially be at risk. Biometrics will be helpful in many of these cases, as voice-based identification only requires a phone. 

However, as discussed, some people are deeply sceptical of schemes like this and will refuse to take part. Future plans must provide easy access to alternative physical identification. 

A universal digital identity is a simple concept on paper but will be extremely complex to implement. Education, confidence, and security will be essential for the government’s digital ambition to become reality.

Neil Slater is Sales Director for UK at Veridas

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com