Technology Secretary Peter Kyle’s flagship project could monopolise the market.
The new Gov.uk Wallet service was announced as part of Downing Street’s new digital strategy. But proposals to allow this to be used for commercial purposes, for example verifying the age of customers buying alcohol, has raised concerns among investors and suppliers.
An open letter has now been sent to Kyle, the UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, by a group representing online safety and age checking systems, which describes ‘shockwaves’ rippling thought the sector following the wallet’s launch in January.
The Association of Digital Verification Professionals, the Age Verification Providers Association and the Online Safety Tech Industry Association have all requested a rethink of the current plan. This follows a recent independent study by Juniper Research, which predicted a 267% increase in the use of age verification apps, with 45% of al UK adults likely to rely on Gov.uk. In comparison, just 9% are expected to look to equivalents from private companies.
‘The news has triggered widespread uncertainty among suppliers and investors,’ the letter read. ‘We are concerned about the inadvertent creation of a government monopoly in digital identity – one that could stifle innovation, limit consumer choice and impose billions of new costs on the taxpayer for functions the private sector currently provides, such as customer service and integration support.’
The signatories are collectively calling for the following to be included in the new Data (use and Access) Bill currently making its way through parliamentary process:
*Statutory requirement for government authentication to be used for public services only
*Third party identification software certified complaint with Gov.uk to be approved for public service authentication
*Government-issued credentials, for example the digital driving license, to be held in any certified wallet, not just Gov.uk
‘Citizens have dealt with sluggish processes for too long. Our Gov.uk Wallet will give millions of Britons access to all their existing government credentials – like their driving licence – from their phones and save them hours of wasted time,’ said a government spokesperson. ‘We will work with the UK digital identity sector to provide the best possible experience to people who choose to use digital identity technology.’
Image: John Cameron / Unsplash
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