Digital identity adoption during lockdown likely here to stay, Nomidio survey shows

Millions of UK adults used digital identity authentication or verification for the first time during the lockdown, and more than half expect to continue to do so, according to new research released by Nomidio. Further, the use of digital services has been increased by 84 percent of survey respondents, and the company says the findings suggest that increased use of digital ID is likely to be permanent.

The State of Identity 2020 Analysis could be a wake-up call to organizations that struggle to handle and store large volumes of customer data, Nomidio says. Stories of data mishandling by companies have been reported, and GDPR fines levied.

Consumers are deeply concerned with the way their data is managed. Seventy percent feel they have no control over how it is stored, and 77 percent of first-time users feel vulnerable from the storage of personal information by multiple digital service providers.

“These results are in effect a double-edged sword. We are likely to see significant shifts in consumer behaviour as a result of the pandemic, and the shift towards digital identity will be to the long-term advantage of business,” comments Nomidio Commercial Director Philip Black. “At the same time, companies with poor identity practices will be exposed, and increasingly suffer both financial and reputational damage.”

Black also explains how Nomidio’s perception of digital identity is different from the commonly-held one. The company sees an ‘Accountable Guardian’ that stores sensitive personal information, accessible with biometrics, in the cloud on behalf of the individual. A cryptographic consent mechanism empowers people to decide what data is shared and with what entities.

Nomidio CEO Anderson Cheng made the case for a trusted guardian in a recent CPO Magazine editorial.

The data suggests as many as 7 million UK adults were asked to scan and send copies of sensitive ID documents over email during the lockdown, and 80 percent asked to use digital identity processes considered inadequate by privacy experts.

Article Topics

authentication  |  biometrics  |  consumer adoption  |  data protection  |  digital identity  |  identity verification  |  Nomidio  |  privacy  |  UK