Scottish Government selects partner for digital identity verification service

Software consultancy firm Scott Logic has entered a new partnership with the Scottish Government to develop a new digital identity verification service for its citizens.

Dubbed Digital Identity Scotland (DIS), the new service will allow Scottish individuals to verify their identity before accessing government services such as benefits claims.

The move is part of Scotland’s Programme for Government and digital strategy and, according to the Scottish Gov’s website, will “benefit everyone seeking those services as well as the public sector as a whole.”

From a technical standpoint, the new program will focus on the delivery of a digital identity ‘attribute store/ personal locker’ -based model.

“We are working with a range of users to design a service around this model that improves the way public service organizations prove and assure information an individual provides about themselves. In doing so, we will improve the experience for all,” the site reads.

Citizens will be able to opt into the new system, but will not be forced to do so.

“We are also considering those people who are unable or unwilling to access services online so we also intend that people will still be able to access services in other ways, such as in-person.”

The upcoming platform will also allow users to have control over their data and what they share with individual public service providers.

“We aim to bring consistency across multiple public service providers and improve ease of use for individuals. This will also reduce the amount of personal information public organizations need to store and protect.”

It has not yet been confirmed what kind of authentication options the new service will offer and whether they will include biometrics.

However, the Scottish Parliament has recently nominated its first Biometrics Commissioner, showing the country’s adoption of the technology is growing.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  government purchasing  |  government services  |  identity management  |  identity verification  |  online authentication  |  Scotland