The Australian government’s proposed Digital Identity system promises a “safe, secure and convenient way to prove who you are online every time you access government services”. In other words, it aims to streamline your experience by avoiding the need to repeatedly identify yourself when accessing a range of government services.
The new legislation proposes an expansion of powers to outsource the process of identity verification to approved Australian businesses. This is a smart way to force everyone to accept the digital ID system because once your account links to your Government services account on the MyGovID smartphone app it can start providing existing identity documents such as a passport, driver’s licence or birth certificate to an identity provider outside of the government.
Under the proposal, any Australian business can apply to join the “Trusted Digital Identity Framework” to become an identity accreditor. And this is where Australians need to open their eyes and keep a watchful eye.
The whole program goes against all the standard advice about not linking all of your personal information, such as tax history and medical history, as it can lead to mass analytics, behaviour profiling, targeted advertising, and more.
