Campaigners warn the government's identity assurance project is limited and that people will lose control of their identity
Gov.UK Verify, the Cabinet Office's in-house developed identity scheme intended to govern access to public services, has finally been launched - years late.
However, campaigners have argued that not only is it unnecessary and limited, but that the scheme is potentially insecure and that it will encourage users to, effectively, lose control of valuable personal information to the eight private contractors picked to oversee the scheme.
Read more: Gov.UK Verify: Late, unnecessary and finally launching this week
UK online interaction with Web-based public services falls short.
Europe’s new eGovernment scorecard is out and it comes loaded with some interesting titbits for British citizens.
Although 90 percent of individuals in the UK have access to broadband and use the Internet at least once a week, the country falls short in terms of online interaction with Web-based public services, according to figures published on Thursday by the European Commission’s national interoperability framework observatory.
Read more: GB: Europe’s new eGov scorecard is out—makes interesting reading for Brits
A savvy approach to common digital components could change the way local councils and the wider public sector delivers services
The Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm) has published guidelines to how the government-as-a-platform (GaaP) could be extended beyond Whitehall to local councils and public services.
Developed by the Government Digital Service (GDS), government-as-a-platform is a core part of the government's ‘digital by default’ doctrine, and aims to establish a strategy whereby digital public services are built out of common components rather than assembled from bespoke systems.
Read more: GB: Government-as-a-platform can be tweaked for local government use, says Socitm
“The government’s approach to technology will provide better public services for less cost. Through disaggregating, re-using, optimising, sharing and modernising our technology, we will improve productivity and efficiency, and reduce waste and the likelihood of project failure.”
So says the Cabinet Office, in its strategy for government IT. It’s an admirable goal, but there’s more that can be done to improve public sector services than just modernising and optimising technology.
Read more: GB: Transforming the public sector – One subscriber at a time
Blockchain technology could be used to improve Whitehall's data recording
The government is weighing up the benefits of using blockchain technology as part of its plans to pursue digital transformation across Whitehall.
Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock explained that blockchains, the technology behind distributed and shared ledgers, could provide the digital tools for building trust in the data held by the government.
Read more: GB: Government digital transformation turns towards blockchain technology