In this event the Social Market Foundation (SMF) launched research on digital identity verification and the opportunities for Britain in the years ahead.
The ability to reliably verify a person’s identity is of huge and growing importance in a modern economy and society. From travel and government services to commercial transactions, dating and political debate, the need to know that someone is who they say they are has never been greater.
Yet many of our systems of ID verification are stuck in the pre-digital age, reliant on pieces of paper and other physical records, with all the vulnerabilities and risks that entails. There will always be a place for physical documents, but our research, kindly supported by OT-Morpho, examines the opportunities for Britain to seize the opportunities presented by digital ID verification systems to facilitate economic and social transactions for millions of people, at home and around the world.
Among the issues considered in the report:
- How can Britain establish itself as the world-leader in ID verification, and use that expertise to advance British economic interests around the world in the post-Brexit age?
- What can we learn from other ID innovators such as Estonia, Australia and the UAE?
- What is the scope for a move to “paperless” international travel or online voting in British elections?
- How can Government ID verification systems be improved to address economic and social exclusion?
Speakers:
Scott Corfe, Chief Economist, Social Market Foundation
Paul Naldrett, OT-Morpho and Managing Director of Morpho UK Ltd