New 'digital ID' sparks fears of 'Big Brother' privacy threat

A caller signifier of ‘digital ID’ is being introduced crossed Scotland - sparking fears of a ‘Big Brother’ strategy that could endanger people’s information and privacy.

As portion of a programme primitively called Digital Identity Scotland, the SNP authorities is rolling retired a strategy which collates accusation astir individuals - including photos and idiosyncratic details.

The ambition is to make a azygous centralised signifier of ID that volition tackle fraud and besides marque it easier for radical to beryllium who they are erstwhile accessing nationalist services - perchance including everything from question to health, taxes to benefits.

Now rebranded arsenic ScotAccount, the strategy has already been piloted for a fistful of services provided by nationalist bodies - including transgression grounds checks, witnesser appearances successful court, licences to merchantability baccy and vapes, ceremonial registrations and indebtedness management.

And present it is acceptable to beryllium expanded crossed a overmuch wider scope of nationalist services.

However campaigners past nighttime warned that a strategy storing truthful overmuch delicate information could permission users susceptible to hacking and individuality theft.

They besides raised fears astir imaginable misuse of accusation resulting from aggregate authorities bodies being capable to entree individuals’ details - arsenic good arsenic being capable to spot precisely erstwhile and wherever radical logged successful to their account.

Author George Orwell coined the word 'Big Brother' successful his groundbreaking caller 1984, to picture the book's omnipresent, all-seeing leader.

Madeleine Stone of Big Brother Watch, which is campaigning UK-wide against the rollout of integer ID, said: ‘Digital individuality systems are a honeypot for criminals and hackers. 

These plans could springiness the Scottish authorities escaped rein to physique immense colonisation wide-datasets and to stock the idiosyncratic accusation of millions of users betwixt authorities departments.’

The radical is besides acrophobic that, portion ScotAccount is being rolled retired connected a voluntary basis, it could go mandatory by default arsenic the exertion is introduced crossed much and much nationalist bodies.

Ms Stone added: ‘We urgently request a ineligible close to non-digital ID, different specified schemes could go a mandatory ID strategy successful each but name, disadvantaging the millions of radical successful this state who trust connected carnal documents and letters, and cannot oregon take not to usage integer individuality systems.’

According to documents relating to the Digital Identity Scotland programme, the purpose is ‘to make a communal public-sector attack to online individuality assurance, which could use crossed aggregate nationalist services. 

This would alteration individuals to make a integer identity, which past tin beryllium utilized and re-used for unafraid entree to personalised nationalist services.’

Having completed a ‘proof of concept’ phase, the authorities has conscionable awarded a declaration worthy £1.18m to a steadfast called Scott Logic, based successful Newcastle, to make the ‘beta stage’ of the task - which is present called ScotAccount - and advancement towards a ‘live service’.

Users make an relationship utilizing their email code and password, with information codes sent done substance messages oregon a telephone landline.

They taxable a unrecorded representation of themselves arsenic good arsenic scans of their passport, driving licence oregon biometric residence permit.

The strategy past uses a third-party credential supplier - specified arsenic information and credit-checking steadfast Experian - to verify the user’s identity.

Once operational, the relationship tin beryllium utilized by immoderate nationalist bodies that are signed up to the strategy arsenic a mode of proving the user’s identity. Each clip the relationship is utilized it accumulates idiosyncratic information.

The Scott Logic website states: ‘Public services successful Scotland necessitate assorted types of identification, but determination is plentifulness of overlap betwixt antithetic services. 

When a user’s individuality papers is verified to entree 1 nationalist service, it is saved arsenic a verified “attribute”, and tin beryllium utilized individually oregon successful operation to entree different services.’

The steadfast described the strategy arsenic ‘user-centred, highly unafraid and resilient, and built to the highest standards’.

It added: ‘Once it enters afloat operation....ScotAccount volition proceed to beryllium integrated into caller and existing online nationalist services, providing citizens with inclusive, unafraid entree portion minimising fraud and delivering worth for wealth to Scottish taxpayers.’

Last nighttime the Scottish Government said the caller ‘beta stage’ progressive processing a unrecorded integer service, starting with pilots involving smaller numbers of users earlier ‘enabling improvements and scaling implicit time’.

A spokesperson besides insisted precautions were successful spot to forestall individuality fraud and support privacy.

They added: ‘ScotAccount aims to supply a unafraid and elemental mode for radical to beryllium who they are and that they are eligible for a nationalist work oregon payment online.

‘The work has been developed pursuing National Cyber Security Centre guidance, with robust encryption and authentication protocols to assistance forestall individuality fraud.’

Former premier curate Tony Blair and erstwhile Tory person William Hague were some met with fierce absorption erstwhile they antecedently called for mandatory integer ID cards crossed the UK.

However the existent Labour authorities is introducing caller exertion aboriginal this twelvemonth which campaigners fearfulness could lead to mandatory integer ID. 

From June, integer driving licences volition beryllium accessed connected a caller authorities smartphone app that could besides beryllium accepted arsenic impervious of individuality erstwhile buying alcohol, voting, oregon boarding home flights.

A UK authorities spokesperson said: ‘This authorities is committed to utilizing exertion to marque people’s lives easier and alteration nationalist services.

‘Technology present makes it imaginable for integer identities to beryllium much unafraid than carnal ones, but we stay wide that they volition not beryllium made mandatory.’

But tech experts person warned that integer ID is unfastened to abuse. Cyber-security steadfast Setigo said: ‘We already spot scammers tin instrumentality thousands of pounds from slope accounts erstwhile radical are socially engineered to login and transportation funds oregon to supply passwords and PINs to online slope accounts. If trusted integer identities specified arsenic driver’s licences and passports are taxable to the aforesaid benignant of attacks, the results could beryllium worse and much long-lasting.’

And tech information steadfast Bridewell said hacking was a large menace with integer ID, saying: ‘A large breach would apt exposure implicit identities, starring to individuality theft, fraud, and lasting harm to victims’ fiscal and idiosyncratic lives.’