Security News > 2023 > December > What Australia’s Digital ID Means to How Citizens Interact With Businesses Online
Australia is about to get a national online ID system - the Digital ID - which promises to improve the security and privacy of data online.
The Digital ID is the cumulation of a five-year, AUD $200 million investment as an effort to alleviate security concerns over the amount of data Australians give to companies to prove who they are online.
What information will be held behind the Digital ID? The Digital ID will have several different levels of "Strength," depending on how much data is put behind it.
To be part of The Australian Government Digital ID System, Digital ID providers - such as the Australian Government's Digital ID provider myGovID - must be accredited to demonstrate they meet high standards for privacy, cyber security, fraud control and more.
There also needs to be a commitment to maintaining privacy: Digital ID providers within the Australian Government Digital ID System can't track which services individuals access - this is a privacy and security protection built into the Australian Government Digital ID System - and must ensure data is stored, transmitted and disposed of securely.
Many Australians increasingly rely on digital interactions with government services, and those people will be effectively required to have a Digital ID to continue to do so.