How the government's proposed 'Trust Exchange' digital ID scheme would work - ABC News
By political reporter Oliver Gordon
Posted Tue 13 Aug 2024 at 3:12pm
The first details of a one-stop shop for Australians to prove their identity, check into hotels and even submit qualifications for job applications have been released by the federal government.
Its proposed "Trust Exchange" system would use QR codes made popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, or a "tap-to-pay" system to let people share information kept under their MyGov accounts.
It is hoped a pilot of "TEx" will be up and running from early next year.
The government hopes the system, which will not be compulsory, can stop businesses from having to hold people's sensitive documents, which can be targeted by cybercriminals.
A single access point for your digital identity could also make some cumbersome processes such as rental applications more convenient.
But at least one cyber expert has expressed concerns TEx could be a "honey pot" for cybercriminals, and could open the door for the federal government to collect even more information on Australians than it already does.
The government asserts, however, that will not be a concern because it is developing a "decentralised" model with more privacy and security settings.
How would Trust Exchange work?
Under the proposed system, someone checking into a hotel could scan a QR code and share their passport information through a centralised system.
A QR code set up at a pub could allow someone to prove their age or regular address without having to actually hand over those details.
Instead, a token — described by Government Services Minister Bill Shorten as a kind of digital "thumbs up" — would be provided and your details would be kept private.
University of New South Wales professor of cybersecurity Richard Buckland said he could see why the federal government would want to reduce the amount of personal data businesses held, but described the project as "risky".
He said any project that tried to "centralise" data carried risk because it created a "honey pot" that was more attractive to people seeking to steal data.
"Once we collect that data, sure, if we've got a system that protects it, that's great, but I've never seen a perfect system," Professor Buckland said.
"I've never seen a system that's not hack-able."
Read the full article here How the government's proposed 'Trust Exchange' digital ID scheme would work - ABC News
