By the end of this year, all Australians will be able to use a “go-to” digital ID platform on their phones to share private personal information, rather than handing over sensitive documents such as a passport or driver’s licence.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten will use his speech at the National Press Club on Tuesday to announce the national Trust Exchange, or TEx, program, which is currently in the “proof of concept stage” and is scheduled to launch later this year.
The technology, accessed through a person’s myGov wallet, will store information such as date of birth, address, citizenship, visa status, qualifications, occupational licenses or child labor verification and other information already held by the government.
Using the example of booking a hotel room, Mr Shorten will say that instead of handing over a passport or driver’s licence, TEx technology will allow someone to share that information digitally.
A person starting a new job can also use the “verify my identity” tool and then choose which documents to share with their new employer.
“You control what details are exchanged,” he will say.
‘So you have in your wallet a record of having shared, for example, your passport and business certificate with your employer.’
The TEx program will also allow information to be transferred via a “digital token” that will not contain personal information, but can be used as a “digital thumbs up” in situations where someone might need to verify someone else’s data.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten will announce the TEx project in his speech at the National Press Club on Tuesday.
Australians will soon be able to use their myGov app on their phones to securely provide personal information
‘Take the case of someone going to their local RSL and wanting to prove they’re from another state or over 18… they would simply hold their phone up to a QR code or payment machine and a digital token would be sent to the club vouching for their identity, address and age,’ Shorten will say.
“The club does not have to retain any of that information. The token will be a valuable promise to the club, but it will have no value to a cybercriminal.”
Services Australia has been tasked with managing the implementation of the program and will partner with other government systems.
Data protection protocols will also be stricter than the benchmark General Data Protection Regulation used throughout the European Union.
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