UK issues factsheet to dispel OneLogin privacy fears

The British government is hoping to dispel public concerns about data privacy and the OneLogin digital identity project designed to make access to services easier.

On Tuesday, the government released a fact sheet about OneLogin, while parliamentary secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart addressed the public in a release.

“Any sharing within government will be done in line with protections enshrined in the UK’s – rightly – robust data-protection legislation and guarded by our latest cybersecurity measures,” says Burghart.

The country is amending its legislation to improve data sharing between departments and enable access to government services with just one account via OneLogin. In fact, the program is expected to replace 190 existing sign-ins.

Consultations on draft legislation started in January and concluded in March.

According to the fact sheet, all data sharing has to comply with the data protection rules of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). That be the same after the data-sharing amendments of the Digital Economy Act 2017.

Data cannot be used for other purposes aside from proving identity and government bodies are required to be transparent about the purposes of using data as laid out by the Code of Practice.

The government has also denied that the proposed legislation would enable bulk data sharing.

“We will only ask for the minimum amount of data required for you to access a service smoothly and safely,” says Burghart.

The document dismissed suggestions that OneLogin will be used for cashless purchases or for building a social credit system. It promises “robust” measures to prevent hackers from accessing data.

Having an ID card or a OneLogin account will not be mandatory, and people will still be able to verify their identities offline.

Contracts for OneLogin published so far in 2023 amount to £41 million ($50.1 million) with professional services firm Deloitte Touche and PA Consulting snatching up the latest deals in March.

Article Topics

data privacy  |  digital identity  |  government services  |  legislation  |  One Login  |  reusable digital ID  |  UK