British public and private sectors join forces to build the Digital Identity Unit

First, it aims to launch a consultation on how it can “deliver the effective organisation of the digital identity market”, focusing on how best to ensure interoperability by setting “rules of the road” for private-sector providers. Once the consultation is complete, the government will set out more detailed plans – the delivery of which will be the responsibility of the newly created Digital Identity Unit.

The Digital Identity Unit is jointly run by Cabinet Office and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. So far, the British government has begun the process of developing a commercial framework through which, from April 2019 onwards, public-sector bodies can access Verify, an identity-assurance tool developed by the Government Digital Service, and other digital-identity tools.

Verify will be handed over to five of its commercial partners in April 2020. The product’s new private-sector owners will be responsible for its development from that point, with no further government money invested thereafter, according to Public Technology.