UK gov’t weighs options to boost domestic digital trust services market

The UK government needs to do more to help the domestic market for digital trust services like electronic signatures, according to feedback gathered by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).

The Office for Digital Identities & Attributes (OfDIA) and DSIT published the 37 responses, 18 of which came from trust service providers (TSPs), along with the government’s take.

The call for feedback last August posed 14 questions to find out how the UK can use trust services like electronic signatures, electronic seals, electronic time stamps, electronic registered delivery services and certificate services for website authentication to make online transactions more secure and reliable. The survey also asked about barriers to their adoption.

Nineteen of 29 respondents favor government intervention to boost the UK’s trust services market. More than half (17 out of 29) say the government should act to increase the number of qualified trust service providers (QTSPs), compared to only 6 who say it should not. Twenty-three of 28 agree that the government needs to clarify the relationship between Digital Verification Service (DVS) providers and QTSPs, with some suggesting it do so through guidelines and standards.

High-assurance QTSPs registered in the EU are recognized in the UK, but not the reverse, so there are no high-assurance QTSPs registered in the UK. Six of the survey respondents are QTSPs, all registered in the EU.

Domestic demand is not high, respondents say, and another registration in the UK is not worth the cost, particularly since it is not internationally recognized.

The government says it hears the community, and will consider its options, including possible use cases within the public sector.

Article Topics

Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT)  |  digital trust  |  digital verification service (DVS)  |  OfDIA  |  Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP)  |  UK digital ID