Australian Payments Plus (AP+) has launched ConnectID, its digital identity solution to help Australians protect themselves from fraud and identity theft.
ConnectID enables people to securely verify their identity to third parties without having to repeatedly share any unnecessary data about themselves. Instead of providing proof of identity documents,consumers can now ask a participating business to verify their information using organisations they already trust with their data, like their bank.
ConnectID is now available to Commonwealth Bank (CBA) and National Australia Bank (NAB) customers on a number of use cases. It also has strong industry support with other strategic partners including Westpac and ANZ.
Moreover, ConnectID doesn’t see or store personal information, it simply acts as a bridge between an organisation that wants to verify someone’s identity and the organisation providing that verification. This only happens when the customer authorises it, combining the convenience of real time identity verification with enhanced security and consent.
ConnectID Managing Director, Andrew Black explained, “This new service will help customers reduce oversharing their data, giving them greater control over what data is being shared and used and choice over which organisations they trust to store their personal information. And from a business perspective, the ability to collect only what is required means they’re able to comply with legislation and reduce their risk profile.”
“What’s important to know is that ConnectID is not creating new honeypots of data, in fact, we never see or store customer data. At every step of the way, ConnectID ensures both convenience and confidence, quickly and securely verifying customer identities,” Black said.
CBA’s General Manager, Open Data, Katherine Sleeth said: “Commonwealth Bank is supportive of ConnectID which will simplify customer identification and authentication needs for both businesses and consumers across the economy. It will help keep consumers’ data safer online, with strong security and privacy controls.”
Here’s how ConnectID verifies a customer’s identity without seeing or storing any data:
The Australian Federal Government released the National Strategy for Identity Resilience in June outlining how state and territory governments should make their digital ID systems more robust. In September 2021, ConnectID was the first non-government operator of a digital identity exchange to be accredited under the Australian Government’s Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF) which sets standards, rules and guidelines based on international best practice.
Lynn Kraus, CEO of AP+ said, “At AP+ we see ConnectID playing an important role in building trust in our digital economy. We’re partnering with proven guardians of identity documentation such as the major banks to deliver simple and safe identity verification. We’re keen to see ConnectID play a role in an Australian digital identity framework that brings together both the government and non-government sectors in a world-leading solution to help protect people’s data.”