The UK government has launched the Office for Digital Identities and Attribute (OfDIA) – a digital ID watchdog within the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, tasked with encouraging the growth of the digital ID market under the leadership of chief executive Hannah Rutter.
With this, the Labour government picked up where the Conservative one left off, considering that the Office was first announced by the previous cabinet in 2022 when it was envisaged as an “interim” entity for introducing digital ID in the UK.
“Convenience” is once again at the center of the way the authorities explain the need for such a push: Rutter is quoted as saying that instead of a “patchwork of paperwork” – and she’s referring to paperwork from both government and private entities – needed as proof of identity today, there is “a better way.”
“Digital identity can make people’s lives easier, and unlock billions of pounds of economic growth,” Rutter said, without further breaking down the numbers that helped her arrive at the “billions of pounds” figure.
The system OfDIA is in charge of does not include developing a government-issued ID card, and can be used on a voluntary basis, she continued.
Rutter made sure to address one of the criticisms regarding the security of such schemes – centralization – by saying that the system her office is working on does not have a centralized digital database, either.
That’s certain at least for right now – and it’s up to potential users to decide if the model OfDIA has chosen looks more trustworthy: “You’ll be able to choose from a range of digital identity and attribute providers, based on the private and charities sectors,” Rutter sought to reassure them.
Currently, OfDIA is working to create “a trusted and secure digital identity market” and this work focuses on five areas, starting with developing and maintaining the digital identity and framework, and then being in charge of a register of accredited organizations that meet the framework’s requirements.
The Office’s jurisdiction at the same time encompasses issuing “trust marks” to companies – currently, there are reportedly 49 meeting one of the three criteria. And then, there is international cooperation, the goal of which is to ensure interoperability, i.e., transnational viability of the scheme(s).
