The goal laid down in today’s budget is to create a Digital Identity market that allows users to prove who they are digitally, without the need for paper. It’s no surprise that this is cited to boost the digital economy; in fact, it will boost the economy as a whole.  The OIX paper “The Economics of Identity” called out a £3.3 billion cost that the use of Digital identity could save, let alone the growth than can be enabled by faster and easier access to services. Empowering UK citizens and businesses with a Digital ID will be a vital growth lever in the post Brexit economy.

The UK budget today confirmed the intent of government to create the Digital Identity Unit as a market enabler. The formation of the Digital Identity Unit (DIU) is framed within the budget as a “Budget Policy Decision”, specifically with regards to “Competition and Regulation”. The DIUs purpose, according to the budget, is create the digital identity market.

OIX is working with the embryonic DIU to help establish how this market can be established and how it will operate. We are providing feedback on the proposed UK Trust Framework for Digital ID. In addition, our recent paper on how a competent authority for Digital Identity should be formed in the UK calls for public-private collaboration to make this market a success. We are also working with those driving the establishment of market leading private sector digital identity schemes.

Our members represent technical and services suppliers to this market, governmental and sector stakeholders as well as online service providers who will rely on the digital identities presented by users to prove who they are. Our members stand ready to make this new market work for the end user and online service providers alike.

Identity is a sensitive subject – the market must have trust. OIX is working to determine the best practise rules that are needed to ensure trust is established and maintained, how this is communicate via a Trustmark, and how we can ensure a user’s digital identity is interoperable across different markets and sectors.

OIX welcomes the establishment of a digital identity market in the UK and is ready help drive its’ establishment at pace.