Digital Identity

Former CIO warns that Canada lacks the ‘building blocks’ of digital economy

Alex Benay, Canada’s former chief information officer, has warned that officials are not making sufficient progress on digital identity, which he argues is the cornerstone of a digital economy.   […]

Kenya creates Africa’s first national digital ID scheme

Kenya has just closed registration on the country’s new digital database, creating the first population-wide identity scheme in Africa. “My administration will complete a central master population database, which will […]

EU report signposts route to blockchain ID verification

Fragmented. Insecure. Lacking in interoperability. These are just some of the realities of today’s digital identity landscape, according to a new report published by the European Union Blockchain Observatory & […]

UK ID system “not fit for purpose”, says select committee

The Government Digital Service (GDS) has failed to meet all of its original performance targets for its flagship ID verification system, the UK House of Commons’ Public Accounts Committee (PAC) […]

Australia funds expansion of identity scheme

The Australian government will inject $67.2m (US$48m) into a national digital identity scheme to enable citizens to access public services via an online portal. MyGovID is being developed by The […]

UK ID verification scheme hit by “optimism bias and ill-defined objectives”, says watchdog

The UK’s flagship digital identity verification system has been severely criticised by the National Audit Office, in a move likely to reinforce the search for alternative models among other governments. […]

UK steps back from Verify ID system

The UK has announced the end of public funding for its digital identity programme, Verify. Last week, the government signed five 18-month contracts with its certified private sector identity partners, […]

Blockchain: alchemy or wizardry?

Like the cryptocurrencies that gave birth to them, blockchain technologies attract excitement and scepticism in equal measure. Don’t believe the hype, says James Johns – but in time, blockchain could […]

Opponents of India’s ID card system win court victory

The Indian Supreme Court has recognised privacy as a fundamental human right, in a case brought by rights campaigners challenging the government’s roll-out of a massive digital identity database. Campaigners […]

New Russian law permits remote medical consultations and patient database

Russian state healthcare providers will soon be able to offer remote consultations and prescriptions, under new legislation which also establishes a new nationwide patient records database. The legislation, which comes […]