A new form of digital-ID currently in development is set to change the way Australians use their driver’s licences and other forms of personal identification.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten will tell the National Press Club on Tuesday about the “world leading” project Trust Exchange, or TEx, to help give Australians better control over their data.
TEx is designed to give people the ability to choose how much personal information they share with businesses or services.
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It would eliminate the need for people to hand over multiple forms of sensitive ID by allowing Australians to verify their identity with information held by the government.
The initiative would be helpful for the verification processes involved in renting accommodation, applying for jobs, booking a hotel room or even proving one’s age, Shorten said.
Rather than being physically required to hand over personal documents to be scanned, TEx would offer technology similar to a tap-and-pay machine, transferring to businesses a digital token that vouches for a person’s identity.
“The token will be a valuable promise to the club but of zero value to a cybercriminal,” Shorten said in his speech, partially released ahead of its delivery.
The verification system, which isn’t duplicating digital ID, could be done through the myGov digital wallet on a mobile phone.
“Whatever the case, online or in person, you choose what is shared, you consent to it being shared, and you can trust it is safe,” Shorten will say.
“All that has been exchanged has been a digital ‘thumbs up’ from the government that you are who you say you are.”
People would consent via their digital wallet to share specific types of information.
Shorten will say he hopes TEx will rival the “gold standard” European regulator for data protection, but without the complexity.