Commercial And Government Perspectives: How To Navigate Challenges And Opportunities Of Digital Identities
Digital Identities great idea but know what is needed to keep it protected
As most know, living in a tech-driven information age has its pros and cons. You’ve noticed the mainstream use of biometric authentication to identify individuals. Data collected from biometric IDs is part of the Identify and Access Management (IAM) technologies which has moved past basic login methods. Now IAM data includes voiceprints, scans, facial recognition, fingerprint and even DNA.
According to Juniper research, biometric capabilities will soon apply to 95% of smartphones worldwide by 2025. On the other hand, less than 50% of people do not trust biometric verification and fear their data will be exploited.
In fact, data shows that most individuals find lackluster privacy and transparency across digital channels startling. Ultimately, it all ties together with digital identities. Today, digital identities are how individuals are defined online, and this is where the security element comes into play.
Digital Identity is a Door to the Virtual World
Each digital identity is unique and corresponds with specific identifiers and credentials. Your digital identity acts as your online representation. It combines your behaviors and characteristics and supports online accessibility so that you can interact and leverage different services across digital platforms.
What Makes Up a Digital Identity
At its core, a digital identity acts as a comprehensive repository of information that involves organizations, devices, and individuals and makes online authentication protocols online work. When it comes to digital identities, there has to be a balance of empowerment and security.
In fact, digital identities work around specific principles that ensure individual identity in a system is safe. Data authentication and verification should meet private and federal government standards and regulatory compliance requirements.
Gone are the days of paper identities. Today, digital identities reign in the world to authenticate and verify IDs.
An individual digital identity can collect information and track activities. It can involve multi-channel interactions and collecting personal data. In the workplace, there are many roadblocks and issues into making digital identities commonplace, such as:
Organizational resistance to change
Migrating from legacy applications
Data and application security
Lack of centralized notifications
What It Takes to Improve Functionality and Security of Digital Identity?
Whether it’s an employee ID, customer ID, e-Banking ID, or citizen ID, there is empowerment, and then there’s security. Most governments and organizations try to maintain a balance to ensure top-tier service efficiency without compromising on security and safety standards.
If you want to navigate the digital world – you need digital identities. Most platforms have streamlined approaches toward digital identities and how they work for social accounts and authentication.
More and more federal governments around the world are adopting and embracing E-IDs so that their citizens can have standardized and dedicated digital IDs. Even the United Nations and World Bank have initiatives underway that everyone on the planet will have a legal digital identity by 2030.
In 2015, the U.S. federal government implemented the REAL ID Act to improve security issues. This act became foundational for identification cards and driver’s licenses. Following this lead states across the US started to issue similar multi-purpose REAL IDs.
Conversely, the federal government in the UK has the Gov.uk Verify platform. It allows Britishers to access online federal government services with top-notch security. It also makes it possible for users to confirm their identities with registered companies. It cuts out the need to have multiple ID logins for various services.
In Singapore, the government put in place the SingPass, which is a dedicated digital identity for residents and citizens to access more than 1,000 federal government services. It comes with identity authentication and connects with multiple governments.
While Germany’s federal government has nPA, which is a microchip that carries the biometric and personal information of the holder. Germans can use an nPA identity card to access in-person and digital services.
Improving the Security of Digital Identities
The most common risks to digital identities revolve around cyberbullying, privacy infringement, and identity theft. Data breaches usually expose personal information and make individuals vulnerable to more cyber attacks. President and CEO Reshma Moorthy emphasized that "At FTI, we always have a cyber-security first approach, where we always are thinking about ingenious ways to ensure our clients are aware of the numerous ways of protecting their digital identity while limiting their PII information from getting hacked.”
One US company, Deloitte, focuses on biometric and multi-factor authentication solutions to improve their security. The company emphasizes consistent data tracking to identify and respond to threats before they mutate into potential data breaches.
Another strong company, PwC focuses on identity governance and directly assists enterprises to clearly define their data access rights and controls for different users by using adaptive and biometric authentication systems.
One of the most vulnerable industries regarding security breaches is in healthcare. Most providers and hospitals now have EHR or Electronic Health Record solutions that offer advanced identity verification.
Final Thoughts
In 2021, Gartner predicted that more than 60% of governments will have tripled digital services by this year. This year they predicted that more than a third of national governments will be offering citizens identity wallets by next year. The digital landscape is rampant with cybersecurity challenges, and it has become imperative for companies and governments to sustain high-security standards. Federal governments usually prioritize transparent online environments and address potential risks to heighten the use of digital identity. An educational imperative is crucial to foster more awareness about digital identities and how people can take proactive measures to secure their sensitive information.
Moorthy stated that: “At FTI, we are ready and willing to have discussions regarding the latest and greatest ways to keep the information safe. It’s pivotal to protecting everyone’s digital identity to keep these conversations going.”