Disclosure Scotland has joined the Scottish Government programme to develop a national digital identity service.
The organisation, which runs criminal record checks on people moving into potentially sensitive job roles, has become a development partner in the effort to develop a platform that people can use in accessing public services online.
Its deputy chief executive Kenny Birney said its priorities align with those of the digital identity team in the Scottish Government.
“We in Disclosure Scotland are working to transform the critical services we offer, by enabling digital access to disclosure information,” he said. “Due to the very sensitive nature of the information we hold, we need to have a way not only for users to sign in securely but also to verify their identity.
“These needs are not unique to Disclosure Scotland and I am personally very keen to encourage re-use of digital components across the public sector. The Digital Identity Service is an excellent example where this approach should be taken and we in Disclosure Scotland are very excited and proud to be working as a development partner.
“Together, we will build something that is not just of value to us, but to Scotland.”
Critical step
Trudy Nicolson, director of the Digital Identity Programme, said: “The partnership with Disclosure Scotland is a critical step forward towards delivering the live service and reaping these benefits.
“As Scotland’s Digital Strategy emphasises, public sector organisations should make use of the common platforms we are developing when delivering or transforming their digital services. We look forward to working with Disclosure Scotland, and other organisations to encourage take-up of the service.”
In June of last year the Scottish Government contracted software consultancy Scott Logic as development and implementation partner for the programme, providing support in configuration, testing, API development and full service management.
