iTnews

ATO pilots facial verification on myGovID

By Justin Hendry on Sep 7, 2021 6:56AM
ATO pilots facial verification on myGovID

Public beta gets underway.

The Australian Taxation Office has quietly started trialling face verification technology from UK company iProov in its myGovID digital identity credentialing app to verify the identity of users.

iTnews can reveal the “liveness solution” public beta kicked off last week, allowing users to create a “strong” digital identity for the first time.

A strong identity, otherwise known as identity proofing level three (IP3), is the highest level of verification expected to be offered through the app, which has been available since mid-2019.

IP3 requires a “high confidence in the claimed identity and is intended for services with a risk of services consequence from fraud”, according to the trusted digital identity framework (TDIF).

It will be necessary for those myGovID users wanting to access the complete range of online services that are eventually offered by the government.

The ATO, which manages myGovID on behalf of the federal government, has been working to integrate liveness detection since entering a $10 million deal with iProov in February.

Having finished building myGovID IP3 by July, the national revenue agency has spent at least the past two months testing the solution privately.

A spokesperson told iTnews the “public beta commenced on August 31 2021 and is available to all myGovID users via the Apple and Google app stores”.

Users wanting a strong myGovID are required to verify their passport, birth certificate or citizenship certificate and driver’s licence or Medicare card.

The other identity levels are “standard”, which requires users to verify at least two identity documents, and “basic”, which requires one identity document or less.

For "strong", once the three documents are verified, users are asked to complete a face verification check against their passport photo using the liveness detection solution.

At this point, users can perform a face scan by taking a series of photos against different coloured backgrounds to confirm that they are live and physically present.

“This one-off face verification process scans your face to check that you are a real person, the right person and verifying in real-time,” the spokesperson said.

“The face verification is a one-to-one match and the process is only completed with a user’s consent.”

The spokesperson added that the public beta follows the successful TDIF accreditation for myGovID to offer IP3 which ensures the service adheres to strict privacy and security safeguards”.

iTnews was able to verify a photo in its tests of the solution, but encountered error messages on several occasions.

It is possible the errors messages occur when an image is rejected by the solution.

The ATO is planning to continue to “test, iterate and take on feedback to inform any further improvements” to myGovID before concluding the beta.

myGovID can now be used to access 78 online services from 30 federal and state government agencies, including myGov.

More than 2.7 million myGovID identities have been created to date.

Last week, iTnews revealed the ATO had extended its digital identity contract with Accenture at a cost of $39 million, quadrupling the value of the existing contract.

The government set aside $256.6 million for the ongoing development of the digital identity system as part of the digital business plan in last year’s budget.

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
Tags:
atobiometricsdigital identityfacial recognitionfederal governmentgovernmentitiproovmygovidsoftwarestrategy

Partner Content

Matt Tett to lead essential primer session on security by design
Partner Content Matt Tett to lead essential primer session on security by design
Operationalising net zero to be centre stage at IoT Impact conference
Partner Content Operationalising net zero to be centre stage at IoT Impact conference
"We're seeing some good policy put in place, but that's the exception"
Partner Content "We're seeing some good policy put in place, but that's the exception"
Avoiding CAPEX by making on-premise IT more cloud-like
Promoted Content Avoiding CAPEX by making on-premise IT more cloud-like

Sponsored Whitepapers

Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Don’t pay the ransom: A three-step guide to ransomware protection
Don’t pay the ransom: A three-step guide to ransomware protection

Events

  • iTnews Benchmark Awards 2022 - Finalist Showcase
  • IoT Impact Conference
  • Cyber Security for Government Summit
By Justin Hendry
Sep 7 2021
6:56AM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Accenture's ATO digital ID work bill quadruples to $54 million
  • ATO taps iProov for myGovID face verification
  • Service NSW to bring facial verification to digital channels
  • ATO re-tenders for myGovID anti-spoofing facial recognition software
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

NBN Co sizes up six-figure customer exodus a year to fixed wireless

NBN Co sizes up six-figure customer exodus a year to fixed wireless

NBN Co to cut 160 applications under $200m IT simplification

NBN Co to cut 160 applications under $200m IT simplification

NBN Co's 250Mbps and gigabit growth is finally clear

NBN Co's 250Mbps and gigabit growth is finally clear

What to expect from the incoming Labor government

What to expect from the incoming Labor government

Digital Nation

CTO Juergen Mueller offers a glimpse into SAP's metaverse play
CTO Juergen Mueller offers a glimpse into SAP's metaverse play
Lendlease launches its own metaverse in Milan
Lendlease launches its own metaverse in Milan
COVER STORY: A Year in the Metaverse
COVER STORY: A Year in the Metaverse
COVER STORY: Data and IoT set digital agriculture on a sustainable future
COVER STORY: Data and IoT set digital agriculture on a sustainable future
Why do DeFi and DAOs matter to business?
Why do DeFi and DAOs matter to business?
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.