Hippo Digital finds inclusion, clarity gaps at root of UK digital ID trust problem

Most UK citizens do not understand what a digital identity wallet means: While some conflate it with Google and Apple wallets, others do not even understand the concept, according to digital consultancy Hippo Digital. This is not surprising, as 24 percent of Brits have a low digital inclusion score, meaning they struggle with basic tasks such as sending an email.

To help clarify the issues around the UK’s upcoming national digital identity, Hippo published a 3-part webinar last month, diving into the project’s challenges and solutions.

Historically, one of the most significant obstacles to introducing identity schemes in the UK has been public scepticism. At the beginning of December, a parliamentary petition against mandatory digital ID gathered more than 2.9 million signatures.

“People feel a lack of control today,” says Hippo Digital CEO Adam Lewis. “I don’t think people know where their identity attributes are being used and why they’re being used.”

While 2.9 million people have signed the petition against digital ID, research is still lacking on why people hold these views. Common themes include government misuse, data consolidation, surveillance fears, and concerns about future governments exploiting the established infrastructure.

Much of the opposition, however, stems from speculation, as detailed implementation plans remain unclear, adds Lewis.

Hippo’s Senior User Researcher Lauren Gorton notes that people generally prefer government ownership for government-related identity services. The GOV.UK One Login brand enjoys strong trust, for example, but when people were made to use a Microsoft Authenticator during their user journey, they found it jarring to find a private company service in this context, according to her research.

“I think most people would prefer the government to have more of an ownership on that than a private company,” she says.

The last part of the webinar features Orchestrating Identity Chief Trust Officer David Rennie in a  discussion of the fickle nature of trust in the current political landscape. Instead of the “politically motivated discourse,” the benefits of a national digital ID should be well articulated, according to Lewis.

These include reducing fraud, simplifying government interactions and decreasing data proliferation across multiple databases. Simple examples, like eliminating the need for paper bank statements and utility bills for identity verification, could help people understand practical advantages.

“There’s an appetite with the right services,” says Lewis. The industry, however, is yet to make the case for digital ID to citizens, he adds.

Watch the full 3-part webinar here.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  BritCard  |  digital identity  |  digital inclusion  |  Hippo Digital  |  national ID  |  Orchestrating Identity  |  UK digital ID