Avoco advises on the Scottish Government’s digital identity programme

Avoco Secure has been awarded a contract to act as advisors to the Scottish Government digital identity programme on reusable attributes.

Avoco Secure began work on the initial one-year project in February 2022 with an option for further extensions.

A key commitment within Scotland’s Digital Strategy is the introduction of a digital identity service. The digital identity service will establish a trusted and secure service for people to prove who they are and/or that they are eligible for a service.

Based on user-centred design principles, the digital identity service will provide users with a trusted, secure, privacy-focused, public sector digital service. It will improve a user’s access to services by providing a safe and secure way to prove their identity, while reducing time and cost for the public sector.

The service will give end users more control of their information and an inclusive approach will ensure offline services are available for those who are unable or would prefer not to use a digital service.

There are four main core components to the project:

• Secure sign on which provides users with one set of login details to access multiple services
• Prove who you are will enable users, who have access to technology and basic documentation, to show proof of identity to prove their eligibility for a service
• Save and reuse will give users the option to save checked personal information securely to an individual ‘locker’ to reuse when applying for other services in the future
• Public services attribute reuse service will provide an option for users to save other verified sources of information (attributes) from public services in their locker and reuse this information to access new services.

Avoco Secure will work alongside the Scottish Government’s digital identity programme team to guide the creation of the public services attribute reuse service to ensure it is user-centred, privacy-focused and accessible. Avoco Secure will also advise on open standards, processes, and the data architecture behind the attribute reuse service.

The Scottish Government’s Digital Identity Programme Director, Trudy Nicolson, said:

“People want a great online experience from their digital public services but also want confidence their information is always kept private and secure.

“We are making great progress with our digital identity service. We will soon be implementing the secure sign-on service and then the prove who you are feature. As an agile programme we are also now progressing with development of the attribute reuse service.

“The attribute locker will make it easier for people to apply for public services and access benefits they are entitled to by putting them in control of their data, how they share it, and how it is used. To do this, we need a thorough understanding of technological considerations and options and Avoco’s expertise in this area will be invaluable.”

Sandy Porter, Executive Director, Avoco Secure, said:

“Avoco are renowned experts in how to make identity data usable for people and consumers. We have delivered identity solutions that were used for the UK Government Skills Funding agency and financial services. We will draw on this extensive experience to advise the Scottish Government digital identity programme on how to use data effectively with users leading the way.

“The Scottish Government has a strong design remit to put people first, giving them complete control over how their personal information is used, stored, and shared. Avoco has vast experience of working with the public sector and takes great honour in the trust afforded to the company in advising on this strategic project. Avoco feels that being involved with such an important project exemplifies our credentials and expertise in this field.”

As part of the delivery Avoco will draw on a bank of industry experts to ensure the right resources are made available to the project. This one-year project will work to ensure that the security, privacy, and the experience of users are heralded as central design principles.

Notes to editors

Avoco Secure is an innovator in data orchestration and digital identity. Avoco’s API (Application Programming Interface) and services have been used in government and industry since 2005. Avoco’s delivery of an Identity Network, named Trus-T, that orchestrates identity data and verification, was rated as outstanding by the industry analyst KuppingerCole. Avoco’s ID Network pioneered the use of banking data to supply the consented, sharing of verified attributes without the requirement to create new identities.

For further information about the Scottish Government digital identity programme, visit: https://www.gov.scot/policies/digital/digital-identity-scotland/