Mastercard digital ID trial with Australia Post and university expands

A digital ID trial Mastercard is carrying out at an Australia university has expanded following a successful first phase.

The trial was launched with Deakin University and Australia Post last December with two parts, one an identity verification process for student registration and digital exams taken at Deakin’s Burwood and Geelong campuses in Victoria, and the other to integrate Mastercard’s digital ID solution with the one in development by the postal service.

Students created an identity in the Digital ID app from Australia Post, and used it for access to the exam portal.  The sharing of specific, limited and verified identity data was orchestrated by the software, Mastercard says.

The trial has now been expanded to include remote online exams.

During the second phase of the trial, the integrated service from Mastercard and Australia Post was connected with third-party platforms to extend its functionality and value.

“Digital identity must be built on a framework of trust, partnership and consumer choice,” Mastercard Australasia Division President Richard Wormald said. “Demonstrating this level of interoperability points to the huge potential for more partners across more sectors — such as telecoms, retail, banking, and government — to provide greater value and impact.

“Integrating with ID’s highly secure network enables these services to extend the reach of their existing offering, while enabling consumers to stay in complete control over where their identity data is stored and how it is used.”

Mastercard was also selected by Australian telecom Optus for digital identity services earlier this month, and the government recently expressed intentions to support the development and use of private sector digital ID platforms.

Article Topics

Australia  |  biometrics  |  data protection  |  data sharing  |  digital identity  |  identity verification  |  pilot project  |  remote authentication