Wednesday 3 May, 2023
Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology Mr. Steven Matainaho
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced yesterday their plans to roll out a Digital ID Block as part of their Government Technology Stack.
The Digital ID Block is a component within a larger digital infrastructure that is specifically designed to manage digital identity services for citizens.
The main purpose of the Digital ID Block is to provide a centralized, secure, and efficient system for managing digital identities, including identity verification, authentication, authorization, and data management.
According to DICT Secretary Steven Matainaho, before rolling out a wide range of citizen-facing digital services, it is important to establish the foundational blocks to avoid duplicating investments and streamline access to multiple digital services.
“The implementation of a Digital ID Block aims to streamline access to digital services, enhance data security, reduce fraud, and improve the overall user experience,” stated Secretary Matainaho.
“It also fosters interoperability, enabling seamless integration with various government and private sector services.”
Secretary Matainaho clarified that ideally, the National Identification database would be the main source of data for the Digital ID Block to operate on.
He also confirmed that DICT has the mandate, through provisions within the Digital Government Act 2022, to facilitate ID Verification Services and to facilitate a broad Secure Data Exchange Platform.
DICT is commencing initial consultation meetings with stakeholders in both the public and private sectors and will provide further information during their upcoming regional workshops.
The Digital ID Block is a crucial element in the government technology stack, ensuring secure and streamlined identity verification and authentication processes for citizens.