The digital directorate of the Scottish Government has launched a public engagement exercise as part of the programme to develop a digital identity service for the country.
It has engaged research company Britain Thinks to collect views from people who may use the service, saying this is part of the effort to ensure it is ethical and respects privacy.
Stakeholder and communications manager Joseph Walton said in a blogpost that the team is working with participants to explore how a digital identity service could help them apply for public services, and looking at privacy, security, oversight, convenience and expectations.
Around 54 people from across Scotland, including some who may face barriers using a service, are taking part.
The directorate aims to publish a report on the exercise in spring of next year and hopes it will produce independent recommendations on the service to the Scottish Government.
Priorities, inclusivity and governance
“It will be up to the participants to make these recommendations and they can cover anything from: how an element of the service works; their priorities for new features; how we make it as inclusive as possible; and how we govern and make decisions in the best interests of the people of Scotland,” Walton said.
The service is intended to provide a means for people to security access public service online and is scheduled for implementation next year.
Earlier this year Disclosure Scotland became a development partner and the programme team revealed it was working on an attribute strategy to support identity services.
