New plan, but same name for UK’s ‘digital centre of government’

The UK’s “digital centre of government” will be known as the Government Digital Service (GDS), continuing the use of the same name, although the department is getting new responsibilities.

The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), the Incubator for AI (i.AI), personnel from the Geospatial data team and the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit are all coming together under the GDS banner, the government has announced.

The new version of GDS will be responsible for the Gov.uk digital wallet and app, along with other new digital public infrastructure initiatives. A National Data Library will be established by GDS. Existing work, including on the One Login SSO system for public services, remains on the GDS docket.

It will also, presumably, be responsible for clarifying how the new government—issued digital wallet and the incoming UK mobile driver’s license (mDL) will fit into a system that had appeared to reserve private sector functions for digital identity service providers approved under the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF).

The “blueprint for modern digital government” published by the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology last week set out the goals for GDS, including a six-point plan for government digital reform.

“The newly formed digital centre of government has been set up to lead work that’s more than just a change – it will help catalyse a wholesale reshaping of the public sector, reaching out to local government, the NHS, and the private sector too,” the blueprint promises.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  digital wallets  |  Gov.UK  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  UK