‘Privacy and Security’ Should Be the Core of National Digital ID: Australia’s Largest Bank

The Commonwealth Bank supports the digital ID rollout but has maintained that it must remain voluntary and be secure.

A fingerprint is scanned at Argus Solutions in Sydney, Australia on Aug. 11, 2005. Ian Waldie/Getty Images

Australia’s largest bank has backed the Albanese Labor government’s proposed Digital ID legislation but says the system must remain voluntary for Australians’ use.

In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) outlined its views on the proposal, saying that there are five principles the Albanese government needs to adhere to if the digital ID system is to become “robust” and “interoperable.”

The five principles the bank outlined were Australians having a choice of identity providers, voluntary use, interoperable with the private sector, being “technologically neutral,” and reducing what Australians must share to verify their identity online

“Any future Digital ID system should have privacy and security at the core of its design,” the CBA said in a Jan. 24 submission on the Inquiry into the Digital ID Bill 2023 and the Digital ID (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Bill 2023.

“Achieving these principles will ensure that the government and private sector are able to work together to maximise the benefits of digital identity for all Australians.”

Under the proposal, Australians would be able to verify their identity through a digital ID system without needing to show “points” of identity every time it is needed by businesses, government agencies, and other organisations.

Instead, Australians would receive a one-time PIN to a Digital ID app, which is provided to the relevant organisation during identity verification.

The proposed Digital ID system is similar to the myGovID, which is used to access the ATO, Centrelink, and Medicare portals.

Currently, the federal government can only verify peoples’ identity against their passports, not against their driver’s licence or other ID documents issued by state and territory governments.

“This falls short of our vision for a national, economy-wide system once fully operational,” said Senator Katy Gallagher, minister for finance, in September 2023.

“The government sees Digital ID as an important economic, productivity and security reform.

“Digital ID is not a card, it’s not a unique number, nor a new form of ID.

“It’s just an easy way of verifying who you are online, against existing government-held identity documents without having to hand over any physical information.”

Sen. Gallagher added that the work on a national Digital ID system began in 2014 under the Coalition government, and currently almost 11 million Australians have a digital ID to access government services.

Hacking Concerns Addressed

Following a round of hacking incidences that occurred to government agencies in the past year, Sen. Gallagher assured Australians that “improving safety online” is a priority under the proposed legislation.

The senator said the legislation will provide “accountability, safeguards and oversight” in protecting identities.

“The draft bill established a Digital ID that is an Australian solution designed specifically with the Australian people, governments including states and territories, and the Australian economy front of mind,” she said.

Personal data supplied will be encrypted, which will make it difficult for a third party, including the digital identity provider, to view or share it.

In July, Sen. Gallagher said there was “pushback” with the proposal with concerns about privacy and authoritarianism.

“We have seen this, particularly coming out of COVID, with conspiracy theories about what the government is trying to do, so we do need to be very clear in our communication,” she said told the Australian Financial Review (AFR) Government Services Summit.

She said that it would also provide more security for business, and that the system would provide a “trusted, consistent, and cheaper way” to protect customers’ personal data.

In its submission, the CBA said the national digital ID system could offer interoperability with the private sector, such as through the bank’s ConnectlD system.

ConnectID, currently used by CBA and the National Australia Bank (NAB) was the first private digital identity exchange system that was accredited under the Australian government’s Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF). Under the ConnectID system users can verify their identity through a digital ID without having to continuously share their personal data.

The CBA added that increasing the oversight of the “relying parties” that receive personal data needs to be in place.