Australian Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten announced on Tuesday that the federal government is developing a new digital identity and credentials system.
According to Shorten, the newly introduced system, often referred to as the Belief Change Technology (TEx), is poised to become a “global leader” and marks a “fascinating leap forward” for Australia’s digital infrastructure.
Despite the scarcity of details, specifics about the system remain elusive. Admittedly, it’s still just a summary concept at this stage. Notwithstanding, the new policy will enable individuals to disclose personal details about themselves, such as their identity and age status, to organizations while still allowing them to control the amount of information shared.
The system could significantly simplify access to government agencies and business services while ensuring robust control over sensitive data.
Regardless of progress made, the project’s ultimate success hinges critically on one crucial aspect: widespread public acceptance.
Given the lingering specter of government incompetence, it is entirely reasonable for the public to harbor doubts about official capabilities.
How should the federal government address concerns over privacy and individual rights within its proposed digital identity framework?
What would drive us to seek out a novel digital identification infrastructure?
The Belief Change System is posited to interface with two distinct authority-based programming frameworks: AGM and Ramsey.
The MyGov platform serves as a single online gateway to access a range of government services and information provided by various Australian authorities. The MyGov mobile application features a ‘pockets’ function that enables users to digitally store and access their Centrelink concession or Medicare cards.
The MyGovID platform is the Australian government’s online digital identification system. This service allows individuals to authenticate their identity to multiple online providers, including government agencies and various organizations, through a single sign-on process. You can log in to MyGov online by using your MyGovID.
The revolutionary Belief Change system empowers individuals with unprecedented control over their personal digital data, allowing them to make informed decisions about what information they share with organizations.
Currently, you can display your digital driver’s license as proof of identity if asked to show your ID at a sports facility or membership establishment. Despite this, you’re expected to reveal not just your age but also your professional title and postal address to membership staff members.
The newly developed system enables users to prove they are over 18 years old using their mobile device without sharing any additional personal information.
If successful, the innovative system could significantly reduce the need for companies to collect and store an excessive amount of sensitive personal information about their customers.
While the frequency of delicate knowledge breaches, such as those that occurred in 2022, appears to be increasingly common?
Public belief is important
To achieve success with the Belief Change system, the general public will likely need to feel confident in its ability to ensure their safety and privacy.
According to the minister, businesses will have confidence in accessing the system’s data because it will be underpinned by existing platforms such as MyGovID.
To strengthen your digital identity, consider uploading your verified driver’s licence and passport to the MyGovID platform. Since any enterprise can believe the data you share with it through TEx, therefore, it must be true.
Despite these assurances, a pertinent question remains: what measures will be taken to safeguard the novel system from potential vulnerabilities?
Since its inception, the usage of MyGovID has been relatively limited to a small number of organizations. Despite this, the Belief Change system appears poised to tackle even more substantial challenges: its ultimate goal is to become the default method by which Australians can express concerns about themselves to corporate entities, public venues, and government organizations.
If this occurs, users are likely to expose their accounts to a significantly greater risk of hacking than MyGovID does currently.
While often overlooked, there are significant privacy concerns that warrant attention.
Will myGov Wallets track and store a record of all occasions where I’ve proved my age to purchase alcohol? For many young people, the prospect of entering grown-up institutions such as universities, colleges, and vocational training programs is an exciting yet daunting milestone in their educational journey. Will government agencies gain unrestricted access to this sensitive personal data? What are the intended uses of this data?
Can the federal government’s proposed digital ID system effectively prevent children from accessing online pornography?
From a federal government standpoint, the prospect of taking such action might seem alluring. Despite this, boosting system data’s online interactions could have a significant impact.
Can the federal government effectively construct public trust by implementing transparent and accountable policies that demonstrate a commitment to serving the greater good?
In the aftermath of the Robodebt scandal, it is imperative that the federal government ensures Australians can have faith in the Belief Change system and confidently store their sensitive information.
Since that is doubly essential given that Shorten stated the system will likely be opt-in rather than mandatory?
The federal government must take immediate action to bolster public confidence by guaranteeing the protection of individuals’ privacy and security.
This initiative necessitates meticulous clarification regarding what data the system will collect about individuals, which entities will have access to this information, and the measures that will ensure its security.
The Belief Change system should be engineered to impose limitations on the volume of information it collects about the organizations individuals interact with. Ideally, it should not file anything away. If this information is recorded, the federal government ought to meticulously provide a clear explanation for why that collection is crucial.
Without such calculated thoughtfulness and intellectual deliberation, the public at large has every right to remain skeptical about this field of expertise.
