The Scottish Government is seeking to develop a common approach to digital identity, that will enable individuals to access the public services in Scotland that they need to. This however is a complex and multi-faceted problem. Both individuals and relying parties have a wide range of needs. Finding an approach that works for everyone will be challenging.

With significant help from many OIX members, the Scottish Government has undertaken an Alpha Project as a key step in its programme. This involved building a Proof of Concept prototype, undertaking user research and analysing other factors that will affect the approach that the Scottish Government takes. The white paper provides a detailed discussion the outcomes of the Alpha Project. It provides insight into the approach envisaged by the Scottish Government, on behalf of a significant number of potential relying parties in Scotland.
The following two additional artefacts were created during the project:

• Service Description – a draft document exploring the range of service that may be developed for relying parties as the programme progresses.
• In-person Identity Verification Requirements – a draft document, based on GPG 45, exploring the capabilities that will be required to deliver an in-person identity verification service, providing a fall back for individuals who are unable to obtain a digital identity through a fully digital process.

These documents can be found here

In the spirit of open government, the ongoing progress of the programme can be following via the Scottish Government’s web site.