Anthony Doesburg: Online identity-checking scheme inches closer

In a couple of weeks Wellingtonians will be able to register to use igovt, the identity-verification system for online access to government services.

It's a milestone in the introduction of the system, which has been under development for years at a cost of about $40 million. But until a critical mass of government agencies begin using it, it's unlikely to have much impact on our lives.

No doubt with that in mind, the private sector has been asked to suggest ways it could use the service, which has been designed to be secure enough to enable transactions in cyberspace that in the physical world would require a birth certificate or passport.

It's not intended, the Government is at pains to point out, to replace the option of catching the bus into town, queuing up at whatever agency you're dealing with and handing over your precious bits of paper. If that's the way you like to do things, you'll be welcome to carry on.

But for those frustrated at the paper shuffling that has to be endured to get a new passport, say, this is progress.

Its introduction, however, is being kept low key. Initially genealogists are being invited to register for an igovt ID (in Wellington at the Department of Internal Affairs in Waring Taylor St on December 11 and 12 and in Auckland at the DIA's Albert St office on January 21 and 22, or the Manukau City office in Lambie Drive on the 23rd) that will allow them limited access to births, deaths and marriages records.

Igovt ID applicants will be photographed, and the photo checked against those submitted with their applications for a passport or for citizenship.

They'll then be given an igovt logon consisting of a user name and password. These will be confirmed by email. Non-genealogists won't be turned away, but the DIA isn't geared up to register large numbers of users at this stage.

There's an obvious reason for that, says Andrea Gray, the official in charge of the identity verification service.

"It's important when you launch something like this that it doesn't fall over."

That would be an understatement. The spectre of INCIS, the $100 million-plus police computer project that failed a decade ago, undoubtedly still looms large in Government IT circles.

The rollout process needs to be well managed both from the point of view of protecting users' personal details and ensuring the service's stability, Gray says.

It is in the final stages of testing with the births, deaths and marriages application. After that other agencies can be expected to start using it. "So we're really just at the cusp of this particular piece of work."

So how does it work? If an agency you're dealing with over the internet requires you to prove your identity, you'll be sent to the igovt website, where you'll enter your username and password for verification.

The required details will then be sent back to the agency to confirm you are who you claim to be, allowing you to complete the transaction.

For some agencies, a username and password won't be enough proof of identity. To satisfy those, when you log on to the igovt website, you'll need to enter a code that will be sent by text message to your cellphone, in the same way some banks operate.

The service puts New Zealand at the forefront of international efforts at designing secure identity verification systems.

The project began long before the change of government, so its architects would have been nervous that the new Internal Affairs Minister, Nathan Guy, might have turned off the funding tap.

But the payback looks too good for that. In August Guy said its rollout would continue, based on expected benefits of up to $1.35 billion from the $120 million or so it will cost to run the system over 10 years.

The proviso was that the private sector be invited to suggest uses for the system, or ways it could be involved in delivering the service.

One possibility is that retailers could use it to verify the credentials of customers signing up for hire purchase agreements. That sounds pretty convenient.

Even more so is the example on the DIA website of the student wanting to apply for a loan. Instead of having to present documents showing identity, residency and marriage status, an IRD number and evidence of having enrolled for an approved course - all of which the Government already knows - the whole lot could be done online.

Bring it on.

Who's Who

igovt identity verification service

* The goal: To provide a secure, convenient way for people to prove who they are, over the internet.

* How: People will be able to set up an online ID and password, which can then be used in all their dealings with participating government agencies.

* What next: Soon to be piloted by births deaths and marriages section of Department of Internal Affairs.

* Private potential: Could also be used by private sector, for example when applying for a loan.