New Zealand’s new rules for accreditation to digital identity trust framework take effect

Starting this week, applications for accreditation to New Zealand’s Digital Identity Services Trust Framework (DISTF) must comply with the current consolidated version of the Trust Framework Rules 2024.

The rule came into effect on Monday, September 28. Applications submitted on or before September 27 may continue under the previous rules during a 90-day transition period.

The Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Authority oversees accreditation of digital identity service providers and their services. The trust framework sets out requirements tied to different levels of assurance, which can involve biometric data collection for binding and thresholds for liveness detection to detect biometric spoofs and identity fraud, depending on the required level.

To qualify for accreditation, firms must prove their ability to manage identity information, privacy, security and risk management. Identity services are evaluated against New Zealand’s identification standards. Compliance for privacy is assessed independently.

Accreditation comes with an associated trust mark to identify trusted service providers, which lasts for three years.

Like its UK counterpart, the Digital Verification Services (DVS) Trust Framework, New Zealand’s regulatory scheme for digital identity services has been in development for several years.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  certification  |  digital identity  |  Digital Identity Services Trust Framework (DISTF)  |  New Zealand