UK shuts down privacy and inclusion advisory group for One Login

The UK’s Government Digital Service has shuttered a group providing advice on how to make its Gov.uk One Login program privacy-preserving, inclusive and accessible.

GDS established the 20-member One Login Inclusion and Privacy Advisory Group (OLIPAG) in 2023 through the merger of the Privacy and Consumer Advisory Group and the Privacy and Inclusion Advisory Forum. The group met with 14 GDS employees in November, 2023 and three more times between February and May, 2024, after which it appears to have gone dormant.

Members included Edgar Whitley of the London School of Economics (and author of the Ada Lovelace Institute’s Ryder Review) and Louise Bennett of the Digital Policy Alliance, the original co-chairs. They were replaced as co-chairs by Bryn Robinson-Morgan of Moresburg and Elizabeth Anderson of the Digital Poverty Alliance, but remained on the board. Other members included Margaret Ford of Consult Hyperion, Tom Fisher of Privacy International, Silkie Carlo of Big Brother Watch and Viv Adams of the Information Commissioner’s Office.

OLIPAG reviewed the identity assurance principles for identity services in government cooked up by the Privacy and Consumer Advisory Group, concluding they remained relevant to One Login. GDS subsequently updated its documentation of the principles to outline Gov.uk One Login’s adherence to them.

A new advisory group with a broader scope is planned, according to PublicTechnology, though no details have been revealed. GDS is housed within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

“As we put technology to work for public services and target £45 billion in productivity savings, we will be more rigorous in engaging with industry than ever before – that’s why we invited dozens of journalists and industry representatives into our offices last month to see our latest work in practice,” a DSIT representative told the publication. “In setting out how our department will operate as the digital centre of government, we committed to continually speaking to civil society groups and communities. More details on this will be announced soon.”

Digital identity journalists and industry representatives remain uncertain about the extent to which DSIT’s plans for the new mobile driver’s license (mDL), Gov.uk digital wallet and app make it a direct competitor in the identity services market.

Article Topics

data privacy  |  Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT)  |  digital government  |  digital identity  |  digital inclusion  |  Gov.UK  |  OneLogin  |  UK