ADVP expects digital identity consultation to play by rules of Data Act, DIATF

The row over the UK’s digital identity scheme continues to churn, as the government prepares to launch its public consultation on the matter and the private sector continues to ask why it’s being sidelined.

The Association of Digital Verification Professionals (ADVP) has released a statement outlining what it would like to see the consultation achieve, and declaring that the consultation “is not just a technical exercise,” but rather a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to settle a foundational question about the digital economy: is your identity something you own – or something the state owns?”

The ADVP’s question will resonate with anyone following digital identity developments in Utah, where the state has passed a law enshrining State-Endorsed Digital Identity (SEDI), a concept that codifies identity as inherent to a person and endorsed – not bestowed by – the state. It is in keeping with wider debates over identity sovereignty, government control and the best way to organize and operate a digital identity system.

GOV.UK hard codes single route for digital ID

“You define your identity by what matters to you,” says the ADVP’s statement. “The products you buy, the services you use, and what you are entitled to from the state are all conditional – you make a choice and gain access once you share something about yourself. We already understand this transactional idea when we earn and spend money. Now, in our digital future, we can think about collecting and re-sharing our data in the same way.”

Surrounding the core issue are questions about digital wallets, identity credentials and interoperability. The private sector believes that the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, or just the Data Act, mandates a diverse market in the form of a “plural, regulated system” that offers users a choice in how they maintain their digital selfhood.

The ADVP says the current GOV.UK proposal risks “hard coding a single route: government-issued credentials, held only in a government wallet, accepted only by government.”

Meanwhile, the Digital Verification Services certified under the government’s Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF) stand positioned to continue carrying out the scheme laid out in the Data Act – the government issues credentials, accredited service providers deliver the means to use them, and citizens choose which ones to use – and says “this approach, already defined in legislation, supports consumer choice, avoids lock-in, and ensures a resilient system where innovation continues without compromising standards.”

On the other hand, the ADVP says, funneling users to the GOV.UK system will effectively scupper the market the government has already created.

As such, the ADVP argues there is “a clear role for the private sector” – and a need to test some of the assumptions at play in the government’s current plan. “The consultation must result in a clear and published impact assessment of the GOV.UK Wallet approach, including projected public expenditure, operating costs, expected delivery outcomes and measurable benefits,” it says. “None of these are known or have been shared with civil society, investors, the DVS providers or the public.”

It should also “benchmark how the same outcomes could be achieved with DVS Trust Framework alternatives, using objective measures such as cost-effectiveness, security performance, delivery timelines, accessibility, and user satisfaction.”

In effect, ADVP is calling for a digital identity tale of the tape, in which two competitors line up their vital statistics and see who gets the advantage. The private biometrics and digital ID sector has long argued that mounting a government-centric digital identity scheme would be, among many other things, cost prohibitive. DVS providers also have certifications and standards to point to, and libraries of metrics tracking the effectiveness of their products.

What ADVP wants from the consultation

The call from ADVP is for clear governance structures that include independent oversight and stewardship of the personal data ecosystem: “such oversight would provide certainty to the DVS sector, relying parties, and government, for long-term investment independent of the priorities of any single administration where government acts as policymaker, regulator and delivery provider.”

It also details a plan for using the DVS to optimize Right to Work (RTW) checks. And it lays out expectations around inclusion, trust and how individuals can control their data.

Overarchingly, the chorus is the same one the ADVP and other private sector representatives have been singing since word of the government’s GOV.UK plan came to light: the private sector is already set up to do the job at hand, and is indeed doing it right now.

“The Association of Digital Verification Professionals continue to deliver at scale approximately 5 million Right to Work checks each year; more than 2 billion identity and age checks globally, representing a major British export; around 11,000 skilled jobs sustained across the sector; and over £500 million in inbound investment, with further growth anticipated.”

“There has been a perception in parts of government that the private sector lacks either the capacity or the appetite to meet the scale of digital transformation the government wishes to achieve. We would strongly challenge that view.”

Economic case remains at the forefront

What’s at stake, then, is more than policy: it’s economic advantage. The ADVP says the DVS sector is “internationally competitive and strategically important, and one that government should actively champion and encourage.” The work has been done to establish the sector – why abandon it now?

“The ADVP believes outcomes are best delivered when government sets the rules and markets innovate – particularly in a fast-moving, data-driven sector that underpins everything. Citizens deserve meaningful control over who accesses their data, when, and for what purpose. That is what the DVS sector is designed to provide.”

In conclusion, the group summarizes five points it believes to be critical for digital identity in the UK to succeed: clear and stable policy direction; defined roles for government and the market; independent oversight, certification and transparent governance; continued commitment to inclusion, privacy, trust and user choice; and practical decisions based on outcomes, speed, national security and cost-effectiveness.

“Committing to this simple but transformation vision is pivotal. It will shape system design, regulatory responsibility, and investment patterns for decades to come.”

Article Topics

ADVP  |  biometrics  |  Data (Use and Access) Bill (DUA)  |  digital ID  |  Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF)  |  digital verification service (DVS)  |  Gov.UK  |  GOV.UK Wallet  |  UK digital ID