PNG advances digital identity with AI laws, SevisPass integration, QUT partnership

Papua New Guinea advances its digital transformation with a new international partnership, fresh AI‑safety reforms and deeper integration of its national digital identity system, SevisPass.

Acting ICT Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr. announced an agreement with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), which was signed in Brisbane and witnessed by PNG Prime Minister James Marape. Tsiamalili said the partnership shows a shift from policy to implementation. He described it as the start of a long‑term effort to build a secure, sovereign and citizen‑focused digital government.

The deal creates a framework for collaboration on innovation, research and capacity building, with strict safeguards to ensure all projects meet PNG’s legal and governance standards. QUT will support public‑sector innovation, strengthen the digital workforce and expand research around SevisPass and other priority initiatives.

Each project will still require its own approvals to protect national interests, including rules on procurement, cybersecurity, intellectual property and data governance. Data sovereignty remains central. All digital solutions developed under the partnership must ensure PNG retains full ownership and control of government data.

GenAI, identity theft, voice cloning to come under regulation

The government is also moving to protect citizens from harmful uses of artificial intelligence. Tsiamalili confirmed that new laws are being drafted to address deepfakes, voice cloning and digital impersonation. He said Papua New Guineans should not have their identity “stolen and weaponized” for fraud, exploitation or intimidation.

The reforms will criminalize harmful conduct such as manipulated sexual content, child exploitation, fraudulent impersonation, scams and unauthorized use of artists’ voices or images. Accountability will extend to anyone who uploads, shares or monetizes such material. Platforms and AI service providers will also face obligations to act on unlawful content.

DICT is working with NICTA and the Department of Justice to update the Cybercrime Code Act and align PNG with international cybercrime conventions. Amendments are expected to be introduced in November. Tsiamalili stressed that legitimate AI use, journalism, satire and innovation will not be targeted.

“Technology must not be used to exploit children, steal a person’s identity, deceive families, damage reputations or profit from another person’s voice, image or likeness without consent,” said Tsiamalili.

SevisPass and telcos work closer together

The government is pushing ahead with SevisPass integration across telecommunications networks. A workshop in Port Moresby brought together Digicel PNG, Vodafone PNG, Telikom PNG, NICTA and cybersecurity partners to advance technical alignment.

DICT Secretary Steven Matainaho said PNG’s digital ecosystem lacks a trusted identity framework with banks, telcos and other sectors running fragmented systems. SevisPass is intended to unify standards and strengthen identity assurance across the economy.

The workshop focused on enabling SIM self‑registration for smartphones, linking SIM cards to SevisPass IDs and speeding up identity upgrades during onboarding.

Telcos discussed readiness and implementation timelines, vendor support, with at least one operator considering immediate rollout of self-registration services.

Deputy Secretary Flierl Shongol said the session marked an important step toward aligning telecommunications networks with SevisPass and advancing the government’s vision for digital government, digital society and a digital economy. PNG is in the process of legislating the legal framework for verifiable credentials, trusted digital transactions and data exchange.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital identity  |  digital sovereignty  |  identity assurance  |  Papua New Guinea  |  regulation  |  SevisPass