What is digital authentication?
Digital authentication is the proof of identity by individuals and businesses that must be satisfied before they’re given access to networks and websites.
The Strength of Registration – Citizens and is a document that sets out the Vic Gov’s standards around strength of digital identity and ongoing access management.
It explains how, before giving users digital access, Vic Gov (VG) agencies must validate, verify and record:
Evidence of identity (EoI)
Evidence of relationship (EoR) (where applicable)
Applicable authentication mechanisms
In setting the standards, the Vic Gov has followed national standards, including:
The National e-Authentication Framework (NeAF) (superseded by the Trusted Digital Identity )
Different identification levels for different customers
The NeAF provides 5 e-authentication levels. These are designed to help agencies determine appropriate assurance levels and authentication requirements suitable for each e-transaction.
The minimum registration requirements for each authentication assurance level are outlined below:
Validation is achieved through the provision of defined documentation, grouped into categories. Verification may include a requirement to present the documentation in person to a registration authority.
Requirements for registering organisations
There are additional requirements for registering organisations and users representing organisations:
They must must fulfil EoR in addition to EoI
The organisation must supply identity documentation that validates the business or entity
To satisfy EoR, documentation must be provided that shows evidence from someone in the registering organisation that the user has the authority or capacity to register or act on the company’s behalf.
Further steps after EoI or EoR validation
Following on from EoI and EoR validation, further actions must be completed. These include:
Maintaining a formal record of the documents supplied, the date and the name of the authority who checked those documents
Determining the new user’s appropriate level of access to information systems
Ensuring the user will supply, on request, key identifying information to be matched when using the account
Salsa Digital’s take
Clearer standards and processes make it easier for citizens to access digital information and services.
It’s great to see the Vic Gov also using some of the federal standards, breaking down silos between government jurisdictions. By adopting the federal standards and processes around adequate proof of identity for new online logins, the Vic Gov has made it easier for citizens and organisations to sign up to their websites and information systems.