Australia recommits to national digital ID push, UK to introduce One Login from April

Australia’s digital and data ministers have made what appears to be a much stronger commitment than has previously been the case to move towards the full rollout of a national digital ID system. In the UK, a contractor has been chosen to develop a mobile application through which citizens can login to a single digital ID platform to access a variety of government services.

Australia digital ministers to ‘actively explore’ ID system

In a recent meeting, the ministers agreed to “actively explore” the digital ID implementation process and also to make adjustments to the way personal data is collected, reported and shared, writes Innovation Aus.

This latest move by the federal digital and data ministers, alongside colleagues at the state and territory level, follows previous similar resolves to bring the digital ID project, which started in 2015, to fruition so that Australians can create online accounts to access government services.

A final communiqué from the recent meeting cited by Innovation Aus reads in part: “Ministers agreed to actively explore adopting a national digital identity ecosystem. All governments are working closely to turn this commitment into tangible benefits for all Australians. This whole-of-economy solution would deliver significant economic benefits for Australia and support Australia’s vision to be a leading digital economy and society by 2030. Ministers also noted the critical importance of interoperability and mutual recognition of digital credentials.”

Although the Trusted Digital Identity Bill is yet to be passed, some states such as Western Australia have unveiled their own digital ID roadmaps.

The bill is a draft piece of legislation defining the establishment, organization and functioning of the proposed trusted digital ID system which has so far gulped a reported AUS$450 million (US$337 million) since it was initiated.

One Login to go live in UK next month

The UK government has announced that its One Login for Government project, which seeks to allow access to public services by citizens from a single online identity, will be live from next month, but be fully operational only in 2025.

According to a report by TechHQ, the project is estimated to cost about US$550 million, while the systems is expected to help the UK government tackle fraud, which costs the government about £52 billion ($68 billion) a year.

Deloitte was chosen to develop the system which will allow individuals to access multiple government services with one set of credentials.

The government hopes to beat some of the challenges that stand on the way of the project as a 2022 Digital Trust Report by digital identity firm Okta reveals that 76 percent of Brits would not mind incorporating their personal data into a single ID card.

US veterans enjoy benefits of biometric app, single sign-on now possible

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is touting a biometric app VA: Health and Benefits, launched in July last year, as having revolutionized the way veterans access certain health and social benefits.

Going by a blog article on the department’s website, over 300,000 veterans have used the app since its launch, and its success has come largely thanks to the involvement of the veterans themselves in the development and design process of the platform. The officials state that feedback from users will be critical in making further improvements to the system.

Access to services through the app is enabled through a fingerprint and facial recognition ID verification system which guarantees security and convenience, authorities say.

In a related development, the veterans will also be able to have easy access to various VA benefits and services from a single sign-in VA account, another blog post states.

According to the VA’s Office of Information and Technology, My HealthEVet has been added to the VA.gov and My VA Health platforms, all of which can be accessed from the same account without having to sign out or remember many passwords. My VA Health is the service for veterans already covered by deployments of the incoming electronic health record system.

Authorities say the single sign-in platform provides an additional layer of security as it requires multi-factor authentication for the verification of one’s identity.

The introduction of the single sign-in experience for all VA websites is part of the agency’s efforts to provide veterans improved customer experiences.

Article Topics

Australia  |  digital economy  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  government services  |  identity management  |  One Login  |  single sign-on  |  UK  |  United States