Guest Blog: Beyond a national Digital ID: why secure verification still matters

The government has dropped its proposed national Digital ID scheme. So what does that mean for digital identity in the UK?

The U-turn brings plans for the scheme to an abrupt pause. But the bigger question hasn’t gone away: how do we improve digital verification while giving people confidence in how their identity is used?

There is a genuine case for providing people with secure, convenient ways to prove their identity when accessing services and completing transactions. At the same time, the government’s proposal left important questions unresolved, particularly around governance, safeguards against surveillance, and whether a system introduced as voluntary could become more widely required over time.

Those concerns matter, but they don’t remove the underlying need for secure digital verification.

A national Digital ID scheme is one way of establishing trust online, but digital verification is much broader than any single scheme or wallet. Organisations already use a range of checks and technologies to establish identity, eligibility, and authenticity, depending on the situation and level of risk.

Public trust can’t be taken for granted

The reaction to the proposal showed just how important trust will be to any future Digital ID system.

For any future system, safeguards need to be part of the design from the outset, rather than questions to be answered later. People should be able to understand what information is collected, who can access it, how long it is retained, whether access can be revoked, and, importantly, whether participation is genuinely voluntary.

These details determine how much control people have over their identity and personal information, and whether they’re likely to trust the system.

I don’t think this is the end of the Digital ID conversation. If another proposal comes forward, these questions need clear answers from the beginning.

AI is making online identity harder to verify

AI-powered tools can be misused to create convincing fake identities and manipulate documents. Deepfake video and audio can make some forms of impersonation harder to spot, adding to existing threats such as phishing and social engineering that can give fraudsters access to legitimate accounts.

For organisations operating online, establishing identity is increasingly important. A document, email, or even a video call may not always provide enough reassurance on its own. Depending on the situation, organisations may need extra checks to confirm that someone is who they say they are and that a transaction is legitimate.

And, these risks remain regardless of what happens next with a national Digital ID scheme.

Verification needs to match the risk

Document verification, identity checks, authentication, and eSignatures can all provide different levels of assurance at different points in a digital journey.

The checks needed will depend on the transaction and the level of risk involved. Opening a financial account, for example, is likely to require more rigorous verification than signing up for a low-risk online service.

No single technology can eliminate fraud. Nor does every interaction need the same level of verification. The aim is to use the right checks where they’re needed, without adding unnecessary steps for users.

Digital verification is already established in the UK

Providers already support identity and eligibility checks across areas such as employment, renting, and criminal record checks.

The UK’s Digital Verification Services Trust Framework sets standards for digital verification services, supporting independent certification and providing organisations with a clearer basis for choosing trusted providers.

Identity verification is only one part of a digital transaction. Organisations may also need a reliable record of who agreed to a document, and when. eSignatures can provide that record, supported by an audit trail.

Some transactions need stronger evidence of the signer’s identity. In these cases, Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) provide an additional option. Under UK eIDAS, a QES has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature. By combining identity verification with additional requirements around the signature and signed document, QES can provide greater assurance around the identity of the signatory and the integrity of the agreement.

What should happen next?

Digital verification should be practical for the people and businesses using it. If different providers and platforms can’t connect, businesses can end up juggling separate processes. Shared standards can help services work together, giving organisations greater choice and making verification simpler for their customers.

Not everyone has the same access to technology, identity documents, or digital skills. People need alternative ways to prove their identity so that moving a service online doesn’t create an unnecessary barrier.

There are examples of Digital ID delivering real benefits. Estonia’s digital identity system has become an important part of how people access public and private services, demonstrating the range of services it can support. Its experience also highlights the importance of effective governance, accessibility, and strong safeguards.

Those potential benefits don’t remove the need for scrutiny. Any future proposal should be clear about how the system is governed, whether participation is voluntary, how personal information is used, and what safeguards prevent the system from being used more widely than originally intended.

UK businesses also operate across borders. Greater compatibility between UK and overseas standards could make it easier to recognise trusted digital identities, eSignatures, and verification methods.

I don’t think Digital ID itself is something we should resist. Well-designed, voluntary systems that protect people’s privacy can offer real benefits. But any future system will need to earn people’s trust through clear safeguards, genuine choice, and a practical reason to use it.