GOV.UK Verify

GOV.UK Verify is an identity assurance system developed by the UK Government Digital Service (GDS). The system is intended to provide a single trusted login across all UK government digital services, verifying the user’s identity in 15 minutes.[1] It allows users to choose one of several companies to verify their identity to a standard level of assurance before accessing 12 central government online services.[2]

History

The Cabinet Office started work on the system in 2011, when it was known as the Identity Assurance Programme (IDAP).[1][3] A private beta phase began in February 2014,[4] moving into public beta on 14 October 2014.[5] The system was declared live on 24 May 2016.[6][7]

Certified companies

Third-party companies are responsible for carrying out identity verification within the scheme. The first five companies – known as identity providers (IdPs) – signed up to provide the service through a tender issued by the Department of Work and Pensions[8] were The Post Office, Verizon, Experian, Digidentity and Mydex CIC.[9] After a further tender issued by the Cabinet Office in 2014,[10] Barclays, GB Group, Morpho and Royal Mail became certified companies.[11]

While Mydex CIC participated in the original tender process it did not go on to become a certified GOV.UK identity provider.[12] In 2016 Verizon was temporarily[13] and then permanently[14] removed from the list of certified providers.

In October 2018, GDS announced that five of the seven identity providers - Barclays, Digidentity, Experian, Post Office and SecureIdentity had signed contracts for a further 18 months.[15] Users of Citizensafe from GB Group and Royal Mail's identity service which is based on GB Group technology[16] would be able to continue using their GOV.UK Verify identity for twelve months but would need to set up a new account through one of the other five companies.[15]

Level of assurance

GOV.UK Verify certified companies must verify customers' identities to level 2 as defined by Good Practice Guide 45 published jointly by CESG and the Cabinet Office. This level of identity assurance is intended to be sufficient to support a claim in a civil court.[17]

List of connected services

The following services are currently connected to GOV.UK Verify as of July 2017:[18]

ServiceService provider
Personal tax accountHM Revenue & Customs
Renew your Blue BadgeWarwickshire County Council
Check your income taxHM Revenue & Customs
Renew your short term medical driving licenceDVLA
Report a medical condition that affects your drivingDVLA
Check your state pensionDepartment for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue & Customs
Universal Credit Digital ServiceDepartment for Work and Pensions
Self Assessment tax returnHM Revenue & Customs
View or share your driving licence informationDVLA
Claim for redundancy paymentInsolvency Service
Claim a tax refundHM Revenue & Customs
Help your friends or family with their taxHM Revenue & Customs
Rural PaymentsDEFRA
PAYE for employees: Company carHM Revenue & Customs

Future services include signing mortgage deeds.[19]

Use beyond central government

Local government

GDS has been working with local authorities since 2013 to pilot the use of GOV.UK Verify by local government.[20][21][22]

Private sector

From the outset, GDS had intended GOV.UK Verify use to be extended to the private sector. While work was underway in 2017,[23] this was still not in place in October 2018 when the GDS head Kevin Cunnington announced that "GOV.UK Verify is now mature enough for us to take it to the next stage - opening it up beyond the private sector for the private sector to take the lead".[15]

Cunnington announced that five of the identity providers had signed contracts for a further 18 months, after which the scheme would not receive further funding from government. The development of the scheme would instead be in the hands of the private sector.[15][24]

NHS

GOV.UK Verify is one of the options being considered by the National Health Service for its citizen identity solution.[25]

Use by foreign citizens

Work is underway to enable non-UK citizens to access the service from September 2018.[26]

Criticism

The GOV.UK Verify has not met various targets that GDS set for it:[27]

  • The platform was originally due to launch in 2012, but did not do so until 2016.
  • The success rate in verifying individuals is 47% as of October 2018.[28]

It does not meet all the identity requirements of government departments, such as identifying intermediaries or businesses.[27]

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) conducted a review of Verify in July 2018, and found Whitehall departments were reluctant to continue funding the project. A subsequent report by the IPA recommended that the GOV.UK Verify identity assurance programme should be terminated.[29]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Jee, Charlotte (24 May 2016). "UK government identity scheme GOV.UK Verify launched today: What is GOV.UK Verify? GOV.UK Verify explained". Computer World UK.
  2. ↑ Merrett, Neil (16 February 2017). "GOV.UK Verify, NHS numbers and the 25 million user challenge". Government Computing.
  3. ↑ Glick, Bryan (16 September 2014). "GDS unveils 'Gov.UK Verify' public services identity assurance scheme". Computer Weekly.
  4. ↑ Curtis, Sophie (9 October 2014). "How the government plans to 'verify' your identity online". The Telegraph.
  5. ↑ Arthur, Charles (6 November 2014). "Gov.uk quietly disrupts the problem of online identity login". The Guardian.
  6. ↑ Burton, Graeme (25 May 2016). "Gov.UK Verify: Late, unnecessary and finally launching this week". Computing.
  7. ↑ Evenstad, Lis (19 May 2016). "Gov.uk Verify to go live 24 May 2016". Computer Weekly.
  8. ↑ "Contracts Finder Archive". data.gov.uk. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  9. ↑ Nguyen, Anh (3 September 2013). "Government signs first identity assurance contracts". Computer World UK.
  10. ↑ Jee, Charlotte (17 December 2014). "Cabinet Office seeking suppliers for GOV.UK Verify". Computer World UK.
  11. ↑ Hughes, Janet (25 March 2015). "Procurement 2: New identity suppliers to join GOV.UK Verify". Identity Assurance blog. Government Digital Service.
  12. ↑ "GOV.UK Verify and Mydex CIC | GOV.UK Verify". Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  13. ↑ "Verizon "temporarily removed" as GOV.UK Verify ID provider - Government Computing Network". central-government.governmentcomputing.com. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  14. ↑ "The latest improvements across GOV.UK Verify's certified companies | GOV.UK Verify". 6 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Taking GOV.UK Verify to the next stage - Government Digital Service". gds.blog.gov.uk. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  16. ↑ "GBG's CitizenSafe® Goes Live as Part of GOV.UK Verify | GBG UK". GBG UK website. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  17. ↑ Simpson, Gary; Lindley, Emma. "Investigating Challenges in Digital Identity" (PDF). OIX UK. Open Identity Exchange: 4.
  18. ↑ "Government services using GOV.UK Verify". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  19. ↑ "Verifying a secure digital mortgage service - HM Land Registry". hmlandregistry.blog.gov.uk. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
  20. ↑ Mathieson, SA (29 March 2017). "LCIOC Latest: GDS, Verify, NHS Digital Services". Soctim blog.
  21. ↑ Southern, Joanne (22 March 2017). "Guest post: working with GDS on transforming local services". Identity Assurance blog.
  22. ↑ Hill, Rebecca (3 May 2017). "Local government Verify pilot hit by council departures". Public Technology.net.
  23. ↑ Merrett, Neil (30 March 2017). "Summer launch planned for GOV.UK Verify private sector testing". Government Computing.
  24. ↑ "UK.gov withdraws life support from flagship digital identity system".
  25. ↑ Merrett, Neil (4 April 2017). "NHS Digital targets late September online identity launch". Government Computing.
  26. ↑ Trendall, Sam. "GOV.UK Verify to be extended to cover other countries next year". www.publictechnology.net.
  27. 1 2 Fishenden, Jerry (5 May 2017). "Gov.uk Verify and identity assurance - it's time for a rethink". Computer Weekly.
  28. ↑ "Dashboard - GOV.UK Verify - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  29. ↑ "Government projects watchdog recommends terminating Gov.uk Verify identity project". ComputerWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
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