Monthly Archives: March 2020

In a work-from-home world, a reliable digital ID is ever more important

by Michelle Johnston, Consultant, Government Strategy and Innovation, Equifax Canada

In the wake of COVID-19, Canada and the world are experiencing unprecedented changes to the regular course of business. Many companies have shown tremendous leadership by immediately issuing work-from-home directives to employees where possible, or committing to financially support employees where they have been forced to temporarily close up shop. With many Canadians home-bound for the foreseeable future, the need to conduct our lives online is increasing, and the need for us to do so in a secure manner with reliable digital ID is crucial.

The shift to working online and remotely will be a bigger shift for some companies than others. In the tech industry, work-from-home arrangements often already exist. Employees may already have a company-issued mobile phone and laptop that connect to a Virtual Private Network (“VPN”), and they may also have in place a two-factor authentication system to validate their identity when logging in. However, this situation is likely the exception, not the rule, for many companies. Office-based employees may not have a company-issued phone or laptop. Businesses should be wary of employees working from personal laptops and devices to access business critical resources, including emails, files and databases without a trusted mechanism to validate their identity in place, or they may put their company at risk to online fraud.

As we make the transition as a society to conducting business online quickly and efficiently, we must not let our security and privacy standards slip through the cracks. With an increased margin of error, online fraudsters will be on high alert for their next opportunity. There are many tools available to prevent this, including digital signatures, digital document verification, verified digital identity and ongoing user authentication. Companies conducting business with their customers by phone should consider mechanisms to verify identity as well, including knowledge-based questions or potentially voice-recognition software. 

“As we make the transition as a society to conducting business online quickly and efficiently, we must not let our security and privacy standards slip through the cracks.”

– Michelle Johnston

Employees working from home should consider a few best practices to keep their identities secure, including logging out and disconnect from VPNs when they are away from their devices. This will keep their devices secure while also staggering the use of VPNs and authentication platforms, which will also be facing an unprecedented surge in use. Being extra vigilant of phishing emails will be important as well, especially those disguised as company directives on COVID-19. 

These unprecedented and uncertain times present an opportunity to conduct business more efficiently online while many employees are directed to work from home. We must take steps to ensure the security of digital transactions with trusted digital identities in order to do so successfully. The introduction of the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework for Digital ID in Canada will help accelerate the adoption of Digital ID in Canada by private and public organizations, allowing Canadian workers to interact remotely across organizations in a faster, more secure manner. I encourage any company working on digital identity to engage with DIACC, share their story, and help advance this important work for the future of Canada.

About the Author: Michelle Johnston

Michelle Johnston is a Consultant in the Government Vertical at Equifax Canada, where she is focused on building strategic growth initiatives around government policy and direction. She is an experienced public policy professional and previously served as a senior advisor in the Ontario government.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only. This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice and should not be used, or interpreted, as legal advice. The information is provided as is without any representation, warranty or guarantee of any kind, whether express or implied. Users of this informational article should consult with their own lawyer for legal advice.

Creation of the first National Digital Identity Laboratory

TORONTO, GATINEAU March 19, 2020 – The Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) is pleased to announce a collaborative partnership with Canada’s cybersecurity cluster, In-Sec-M, to create the first national digital identity lab.

Leveraging the strengths of their respective members, the two organizations have begun to identify and enumerate the requirements for the future laboratory, in addition to building a community of interest that will derive value from such a venture.

As an independent not-for-profit entity focused on providing value to the public and private sectors, the Digital Identity Laboratory is being established in accordance with principles of openness, transparency and good governance to maintain the highest level of market neutrality.

When operational, the Laboratory will allow innovative Canadian organizations to test and certify their digital identity solutions.

“The Digital ID Lab benefits all Canadians by promoting adoption of user-centric digital identity solutions by public and private organizations,” said Pierre Roberge, President of the Digital ID Laboratory of Canada.

An identity ecosystem of leaders from both the public and private sectors are already contributing to the development and support of the Digital Identity Laboratory. “To all parties who wish to contribute, shape, use and support the lab – we ask you to please come forward to connect your interests” added Roberge.

“In-Sec-M is a Canadian leader in cybersecurity,” noted DIACC President Joni Brennan. “We are looking forward to working together toward building an innovation ecosystem that serves as a model for the rest of the world.”

DIACC and In-Sec-M share similar values and look forward to collaborating on digital identity across Canada, and abroad.

“Both organizations value very strong digital identity in order to protect Canadians and their personal data,” said Antoine Normand, President, In-Sec-M. “We also share a similar approach, fostering public-private partnerships in digital identity, and we want to see Canada become an international leader in innovation for privacy protection and digital identity.”

About the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) (www.diacc.ca)
The DIACC is a non-profit coalition of public and private sector leaders committed to developing a Canadian digital identification and authentication framework to enable Canada’s full and secure participation in the global digital economy. The DIACC was created as a result of the
federal government’s Task Force for the Payments System Review and members include representatives from both the federal and provincial levels of government as well as private sector leaders.

About In-Sec-M (www.insecm.ca)
The Canadian cluster of the cybersecurity industry, In-Sec-M is a non-profit organization that strives to promote the cybersecurity industry, as well as increase the innovation, commercialization and growth capabilities of businesses in the field. Founded in 2017, the organization has been recognized by the Governments of Quebec and Canada as a Cybersecurity Excellence Centre.

About the Digital Identity Laboratory of Canada (www.digilab.ca)
The Digital Identity Laboratory (DIDLab) is a Canadian non-profit organization that brings together public and private entities in order to accelerate the adoption of user-centric digital identity solutions by promoting compliance and interoperability components.

Digital Identity Offers a Business Continuity Roadmap to Reduce the Impact of COVID-19 in Canada

by Matthew Unger, CEO, iComply

For most Canadians today, physical human interaction is required to complete most major financial transactions. Many of Canada’s largest banks, insurance companies, real estate agencies, mortgage brokers, credit unions, and financial advisors may not be able to offer an alternative to face-to-face meetings, physical paperwork, or agents who move quickly from one in-person meeting to the next.

We are currently in a very interesting time in history. In the past month, governments have announced over $1T USD in economic stimuli, the U.S. Federal Reserve dropped interest rates to zero, reported cases of COVID-19 are multiplying 10X every two weeks, and the stock market saw the worst single-day decline since Black Monday in 1987. Economically speaking, the last thing we can afford to do as a society is to stop working.

Many industries have not yet overcome barriers such as processes driven by legacy systems and are still doing business primarily in face-to-face channels. However, the rise of COVID-19 is causing a global shift in mindsets towards social distancing, remote work, and web conferencing. Previously, industries that relied on armies of agents, advisors, or consultants to conduct business—now, many of these businesses are seeking to fast-track their digital transformation in order to survive.

Yet, for many businesses, the challenge of changing their ways is real. Real estate agents and mortgage brokers still physically attend meetings—which increases their own risk of exposure, not to mention that of their clients. In only a matter of weeks, the agents on the front lines in these industries are experiencing a new trend—the same clients who used to value in-person meetings no longer want to meet. Clients know their agent runs a busy schedule with dozens of meetings every week—long enough to be contagious without showing symptoms.

“By leveraging tools such as digital identity verification, digital signatures, liveness detection, and ongoing user authentication, Canada’s professional and financial service providers can do a lot to make a difference.”

– Matthew Unger

Businesses are starting to take action – closing their doors to mitigate COVID-19, at the expense of their own bottom line. Last week, firms such as HSBC in New York closed their offices to all events or external meetings. Financial service providers in Canada have prioritized the wellbeing of their staff and clients to minimize the spread of the outbreak. However, based on their size and complexity, many traditional institutions have found it cost-prohibitive or risky to completely migrate over to digital-first systems. As a result, many still lack resources needed to effectively roll out digital onboarding—much less ongoing user identity authentication.

Medical experts anticipate that COVID-19 will continue its rapid global spread, and Health Canada has recommended a number of community-based measures. While potential vaccines have been reported, they are not expected to reach the market for up to a year. It is likely that such precautions will have a major impact on any business that relies on face-to-face meetings. Clients will refuse meetings in favour of online calls, digital onboarding, and digital document signing.

How will you buy your next home? Secure your next mortgage? Open a bank account? In the event a Canadian needs to settle the estate of a loved one, how will self-isolation be handled for elderly counter-signatories and meetings with family tax and estate professionals?

Many back-office administration teams in Canada have already moved to remote work or rotating their teams for one week onsite, one week offsite. Should containment measures increase, this will not be enough. Instead, back-office and compliance teams will need to be able to securely complete their tasks offsite while working from home.

While health care professionals and healthtech companies are working around the clock to solve this global crisis, we should consider our own daily routines, both personally and professionally, to identify how we can make a positive change for the benefits of our clients’ privacy, security, and—with concerns surrounding COVID-19—even their personal wellbeing.

The traditional ‘wet signature’ meeting culture in the financial industry requires a change in both mindset and in the adoption of technology. By leveraging tools such as digital identity verification, digital signatures, liveness detection, and ongoing user authentication, Canada’s professional and financial service providers can do a lot to make a difference.

About the Author
Matthew Unger is founder and CEO of iComply. After founding a $42M wealth management practice, Matthew exited by age 26 and co-founded a practice management platform for wealth managers which was acquired by Planswell in 2015. Matthew has studied Digital Transformation and Business Strategy in Finance at MIT and is a global expert in digital identity, KYC and AML regulation.

Spotlight on the Government of Saskatchewan

  1. What is the mission and vision of the Government of Saskatchewan?

The vision of the Saskatchewan Public Service is to be the best public service in Canada. We support Saskatchewan’s vision: to be the best place in Canada – to live, to work, to start a business, to get an education, to raise a family and to build a life. We are guided by Our Commitment to Excellence – dedicated to service excellence, innovation, collaboration and transparency, practice effective and accountable use of resources and promote engagement and leadership is demonstrated at all levels.

  1. Why is trustworthy digital identity critical for existing and emerging markets?

Digital identity brings a number of key benefits to advanced and emerging markets. It helps citizens and businesses to more easily access services, especially in internet-connected rural and remote communities that could be otherwise hard to reach. It improves privacy protection and reduces fraud risks related to identity verification, by decentralizing information and putting more control in the hands of users. It supports efficiency, with online delivery up to 50 times more cost effective than offline channels – while also instilling confidence in service providers that online services are going to the right people. It also encourages people to complete online transactions, helping them become more digitally literate and comfortable online. 

  1. How will digital identity transform the Canadian and global economy? How does the Government of Saskatchewan address challenges associated with this transformation?

Saskatchewan’s technology sector is a growth driver in the economy and an important future enabler of growth in our agricultural and resource sectors. By allowing citizens and businesses to more easily and conveniently access services any time from any internet-connected device, digital identity promotes efficiency for Canadians and will further position Saskatchewan and Canada to other markets as being more attractive to work with. Future challenges include retaining and attracting large-scale tech employers in Saskatchewan to anchor the province’s technology ecosystem.

  1. What role does Canada have to play as a leader in the space?

The pan-Canadian effort on digital identity is causing a resurgence of Canada’s presence on the world stage when it comes to the internet. Our country’s collective work, across the public and private sectors, is defining and governing digital identity in a standards based way. This will position us well to other markets as a country to work with, and our collective commitment to make digital identity easy to use will encourage uptake of the digital identities across the country.

  1. Why did the Government of Saskatchewan join the DIACC? 

Saskatchewan joined the DIACC because we recognize that if we are going to realize the potential of digital ID, we need to define and govern digital identity nationally, with private and public sector collaboration. 

To learn more about DIACC members, check out our other member Spotlights!

Request for Comment and IPR Review: PCTF Verified Person, Privacy, and Glossary Draft Recommendations V1.0

STATUS: This review is now closed. Thank you for your participation!

Le français suit…

Notice of Intent: DIACC is collaborating to develop and publish a Verified Person and Privacy industry standards as components of the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework (PCTF) to set a baseline of public and private sector interoperability of identity services and solutions. The PCTF Glossary provides a summary of commonly used terms used across DIACC documentation.

Document Status: These review documents have been approved as Draft Recommendations V1.0 by the DIACC’s Trust Framework Expert Committee (TFEC) that operates under the DIACC controlling policies.

Summary:

The intent of the PCTF Verified Person component is to define a set of processes used to establish that a natural person is real, unique, and identifiable. This is a key ingredient in ensuring a digital representation of a person is properly created, used exclusively by that same person, and can be relied on to receive valued services and to carry out transactions with trust and confidence.

The PCTF Privacy component is concerned with the handling of personal data for digital identity purposes. The objective of this component is to ensure the ongoing integrity of the privacy processes, policies, and controls of organizations in a Digital Identity Ecosystem by means of standardized conformance criteria used for assessment and certification against the PCTF.

The PCTF Glossary is a list of terms assembled based on those identified in the PCTF Model and TFEC Component Profiles in or near Discussion Draft to date as well as existing Canadian Identity Publications and Standards.

To learn more about the Pan-Canadian vision and benefits-for-all value proposition please review the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework Overview.

Invitation:

  • All interested parties are invited to comment.

Period:

  • Opens: March 10, 2020 at 23:59 PST | Closes: April 30, 2020 at 23:59 PST

Review Documents: PCTF Verified Person

When reviewing this draft, consider the following and note that responses to these questions are non-binding and serve to improve the PCTF.

  1. Does the list of trusted processes for Verified Person map to processes in your organization or business?
  2. Is the scope and description of the trusted processes clear and accurate?   
  3. Does the terminology align with your domain or sector (e.g., evidence of identity, identity information, identity claim)?
  4. Do you agree with the inclusion of Establish Sources process as it is described?
  5. Does the Identity Presentation process make sense in the context of Verified Person?  and if so, what conformance criteria and/or requirements would make sense to include?
  6. Are the conformance criteria clear and measurable?
  7. If your organization were to self-assess today, would you comply? If not, what barriers (business, legal, or technical) to compliance can you identify? 
  8. Are there conformance criteria you would recommend adding, modifying, or removing?    

Review Documents: PCTF Privacy

Supporting Documents: PCTF Privacy

When reviewing this draft, please consider the following and note that responses to these questions are non-binding and serve to improve the PCTF.

  1. The PCTF Privacy component is a horizontal theme applicable to all other PCTF profiles. In this context, are the compliance criteria clear and comprehensive?
  2. Do the documents strike the appropriate balance between elaborating privacy principles for digital identity aligned with PIPEDA, without being redundant with what PIPEDA says?
  3. Could your organization identify any barriers to compliance (business, legal, or technical)?
  4. Is the distinction between handling Subject-Specific Personal Information and Service-Specific Personal Information clear and complete?
  5. Are Overview concepts clear and complete (e.g. key definitions, Digital Identity Ecosystem roles, Scope)?
  6. The conformance criteria should be seen in the Pan-Canadian context of the PCTF and may not address specific additional requirements, reflected in policy or regulation, within a single jurisdiction or industry vertical. Within this context, are the conformance criteria clear and comprehensive?

Review Document: PCTF Glossary

When reviewing this draft, please consider the following and note that responses to these questions are non-binding and serve to improve the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework.

  1. Generally do the definitions in the PCTF Glossary align with your understanding when reading the PCTF documentation?
  2. Are there other terms used in the PCTF documentation that you would suggest be added to or removed from the PCTF Glossary?
  3. Are the definitions for terms clear and unambiguous?
  4. For the terms listed, please suggest relevant examples or non-examples from your domain. 

Intellectual Property Rights:

Comments must be received within the 30-day comment period noted above. All comments are subject to the DIACC contributor agreement; by submitting a comment you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions therein. DIACC Members are also subject to the Intellectual Property Rights Policy. Any notice of an intent not to license under either the Contributor Agreement and/or the Intellectual Property Rights Policy with respect to the review documents or any comments must be made at the Contributor’s and/or Member’s earliest opportunity, and in any event, within the 61-day comment period. IPR claims may be sent to review@diacc.ca. Please include “IPR Claim” as the subject.

Process:

  • All comments are subject to the DIACC contributor agreement.
  • Submit comments using the provided DIACC Comment Submission Spreadsheet.
  • Reference the draft and corresponding line number for each comment submitted.
  • Email completed DIACC Comment Submission Spreadsheet to review@diacc.ca.
  • Questions may be sent to review@diacc.ca.

Value to Canadians:

The PCTF Verified Person and Privacy Components will provide value to all Canadians, businesses, and governments by setting a baseline of business, legal, and technical interoperability. The DIACC’s mandate is to collaboratively develop and deliver resources to help Canadian’s to digitally transact with security, privacy, and convenience. The PCTF is one such resource that represents a collection of industry standards, best practices, and other resources that help to establish interoperability of an ecosystem of identity services and solutions. The DIACC is a not-for-profit coalition of members from the public and private sector who are making a significant and sustained investment in accelerating Canada’s Identity Ecosystem.

Context:

The purpose of this review for these Draft Recommendations is to ensure transparency in the development and diversity of a truly Pan-Canadian, and international, input. In alignment with our Principles for an Identity Ecosystem, processes to respect and enhance privacy are being prioritized through every step of the PCTF development process.

DIACC expects to modify and improve these Draft Recommendations based upon public comments. Comments made during the review will be considered for incorporation into the next drafts and DIACC will prepare a Disposition of Comments to provide transparency with regard to how each comment was handled.

Demande de commentaires et d’examen des droits de propriété intellectuelle : ébauche de recommandations pour la personne vérifiée, le respect de la vie privée et le glossaire du Cadre de confiance pancanadien V1.0

Déclaration d’intention : Le CCIAN collabore pour développer et publier une norme de l’industrie en matière d’organisation vérifiée en tant que composante du Cadre de confiance pancanadien afin d’établir une base d’interopérabilité des services et solutions d’identité dans les secteurs public et privé. Le glossaire du Cadre de confiance pancanadien fournit un résumé des termes couramment utilisés dans les documents du CCIAN.

État des documents : Ces documents à examiner ont été approuvés en tant qu’ébauches de recommandations V1.0 par le Comité d’experts du cadre de confiance (TFEC) du Conseil canadien de l’identification et de l’authentification numériques (CCIAN), qui est régi par les politiques qui contrôlent le CCIAN.

Résumé

La composante Personne vérifiée du Cadre de confiance pancanadien vise à définir un ensemble de processus utilisés pour déterminer qu’une personne naturelle est réelle, unique et identifiable. Il s’agit d’un ingrédient essentiel pour faire en sorte qu’une représentation numérique d’une personne soit convenablement créée et utilisée exclusivement par cette même personne, et qu’on puisse s’y fier pour recevoir des services de valeur et faire des transactions avec confiance et assurance.

La composante Respect de la vie privée du Cadre de confiance pancanadien porte sur le traitement des données personnelles pour les besoins de l’identité numérique. L’objectif de cette composante vise à assurer l’intégrité continue des processus, politiques et contrôles de protection de la vie privée des organisations dans un écosystème de l’identité numérique au moyen de critères de conformité uniformisés qui sont utilisés pour l’évaluation et la certification par rapport au Cadre de confiance pancanadien.

Le glossaire du Cadre de confiance pancanadien est une liste de termes établie à partir des termes identifiés dans le modèle de Cadre de confiance pancanadien et des profils des composantes du TFEC dans ce qui est ou presque un document de travail à ce jour ainsi que les publications et normes canadiennes existantes ayant trait à l’identité.

Pour en savoir davantage sur la vision du Cadre de confiance pancanadien et les avantages qu’il procure à tous, veuillez lire le document Aperçu du Cadre de confiance pancanadien | Pan-Canadian Trust Framework Overview.

Invitation

  • Toutes les parties intéressées sont invitées à faire des commentaires

Période

  • Début : 10 mars 2020 à 23 h 59 HP | Fin : 10 avril 2020 à 23 h 59 HP

Documents à examiner : Personne vérifiée du Cadre de confiance pancanadien

En examinant cette ébauche, veuillez tenir compte de ce qui suit, et noter que les réponses à ces questions ne sont pas contraignantes et visent à améliorer le Cadre de confiance pancanadien.

  1. Est-ce que la liste des processus de confiance pour la personne vérifiée cadre avec les processus en place dans votre organisation ou entreprise?
  2. La portée et la description des processus de confiance sont-elles claires et exactes?  
  3. Est-ce que la terminologie s’applique à votre domaine ou secteur (p. ex., preuve de l’identité, renseignements sur l’identité, affirmation de l’identité)?
  4. Êtes-vous d’accord pour que le processus liés aux sources établies soit inclus tel qu’il est décrit?
  5. Est-ce que le processus de présentation de l’identité est pertinent dans le contexte de la personne vérifiée? Et si oui, quels critères de conformité et/ou exigences de conformité serait-il logique d’inclure?
  6. Les critères de conformité sont-ils clairs et mesurables?
  7. Si votre organisation devait s’auto-évaluer aujourd’hui, serait-elle conforme? Dans la négative, quels obstacles (commerciaux, juridiques ou techniques) à la conformité pouvez-vous identifier?
  8. Y a-t-il des critères de conformité que vous recommanderiez d’ajouter, de modifier ou de supprimer?   

Documents à examiner : Protection de la vie privée du Cadre de confiance pancanadien

Documents d’accompagnement : Protection de la vie privée du Cadre de confiance pancanadien

En examinant cette ébauche, veuillez tenir compte de ce qui suit, et noter que les réponses à ces questions ne sont pas contraignantes et visent à améliorer le Cadre de confiance pancanadien.

  1. La composante « Respect de la vie privée » du Cadre de confiance pancanadien est un thème horizontal qui s’applique à tous les autres profils du Cadre de confiance pancanadien. Dans ce contexte, les critères de conformité sont-ils clairs et exhaustifs?
  2. Les documents font-ils bien la part entre l’élaboration des principes du respect de la vie privée pour l’identité numérique alignés sur la Loi sur la protection des renseignements personnels et les documents électroniques (LPRPDE), sans reprendre ce que la LPRPDE dit?
  3. Votre organisation pourrait-elle identifier des obstacles (commerciaux, juridiques ou techniques) à la conformité?
  4. La distinction entre le traitement des renseignements personnels spécifiques au sujet et au service est-elle claire et complète?
  5. Les notions présentées dans l’aperçu sont-elles claires et complètes (p. ex. définitions de base, rôles dans l’écosystème de l’identité numérique, portée)?
  6. Les critères de conformité devraient être pris dans le contexte pancanadien du Cadre de confiance pancanadien et peuvent ne pas répondre à des exigences supplémentaires spécifiques, qui sont reflétées dans des politiques ou règlements, dans une seule province, un seul territoire ou une seule verticale de l’industrie. Dans ce contexte, les critères de conformité sont-ils clairs et exhaustifs?

Document à examiner : Glossaire du Cadre de confiance pancanadien

En examinant cette ébauche, veuillez tenir compte de ce qui suit, et noter que les réponses à ces questions ne sont pas contraignantes et visent à améliorer le Cadre de confiance pancanadien.

  1. D’une façon générale, les définitions contenues dans le glossaire du Cadre de confiance pancanadien correspondent-elles à ce que vous comprenez en lisant la documentation du Cadre de confiance pancanadien?
  2. Y a-t-il d’autres termes utilisés dans la documentation du Cadre de confiance pancanadien que vous suggéreriez d’ajouter ou de supprimer de ce glossaire?
  3. Les définitions des termes sont-elles claires et non ambiguës?
  4. Veuillez suggérer, pour les termes indiqués, des exemples et non-exemples pertinents tirés de votre domaine.

Droits de propriété intellectuelle

Les commentaires doivent être reçus pendant la période de 30 jours indiquée ci-dessus. Tous les commentaires sont assujettis à l’entente de contributeur du CCIAN; en soumettant un commentaire, vous acceptez d’être lié par les conditions qu’elle renferme. Les membres du CCIAN sont également assujettis à la politique sur les droits de propriété intellectuelle. Tout avis d’intention de ne pas octroyer une licence en vertu de l’entente de contributeur et/ou de la politique sur les droits de propriété intellectuelle relativement aux documents à examiner ou à des commentaires doit être donné dès que le contributeur et/ou le membre en ont la possibilité, et en toute circonstance, pendant la période de commentaires de 61 jours. Les revendications au titre des droits de propriété intellectuelle peuvent être adressées à review@diacc.ca. Veuillez indiquer « Revendication en matière de propriété intellectuelle » dans l’objet.

Processus

  • Tous les commentaires sont assujettis à l’entente de contributeur du CCIAN.
  • Veuillez utiliser le formulaire prévu à cet effet pour soumettre vos commentaires au CCIAN.
  • Assurez-vous d’indiquer le numéro d’ébauche et de ligne correspondant à chaque commentaire soumis.
  • Le formulaire de soumission de commentaires au CCIAN doit être envoyé par courriel, dûment rempli, à review@diacc.ca.
  • Questions : review@diacc.ca.

Valeur pour les Canadiens

Les composantes « Personne vérifiée » et « Protection de la vie privée » du Cadre de confiance pancanadien procureront de la valeur à l’ensemble des Canadiens, entreprises et gouvernements en établissant une base d’interopérabilité commerciale, juridique et technique. Le CCIAN a pour mandat de collaborer au développement et à la prestation de ressources visant à aider les Canadiens à faire des transactions numériques qui sont sécuritaires et commodes, et qui respectent leur vie privée. Le Cadre de confiance pancanadien est une de ces ressources. Il représente un ensemble de normes de l’industrie, de pratiques exemplaires et autres ressources qui aident à établir l’interopérabilité d’un écosystème de services et solutions en matière d’identité. Le CCIAN est une coalition sans but lucratif de membres des secteurs public et privé qui effectuent un investissement important et soutenu pour accélérer l’écosystème de l’identité du Canada.

Contexte

L’examen des ébauches de recommandations a pour but d’assurer la transparence de l’élaboration et de la diversité d’un apport véritablement pancanadien et international. Conformément à nos principes pour un écosystème de l’identité, la priorité est accordée aux processus visant à respecter et à renforcer la vie privée à chaque étape du processus de développement du cadre de confiance pancanadien. Le CCIAN s’attend à modifier et à améliorer ces ébauches de recommandations en fonction des commentaires du public. Les commentaires faits pendant l’examen seront pris en compte pour être intégrés dans les prochaines ébauches et le CCIAN va préparer un document expliquant d’une façon transparente comment chaque commentaire a été traité.

DIACC Women in Digital Identity

Gender parity is a topic often at the forefront of discussion, particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers – a field largely dominated by men. While women are making strides in the tech scene, gender equality remains something that needs to be addressed. A recent survey found that over 40 per cent of female students and young professionals do not believe that tech companies really want to hire women or that they know how to develop the skills required for a career in the field. 

Fortunately, increasing inclusion and diversity in the workplace are becoming areas of high priority for many organizations. 

This message has been reinforced by groups such as Women in Identity (WID), which promotes diversity in the identity industry and held the launch of its Canadian chapter last month in Toronto. With a large crowd of (over 400!) attendees, this event highlights the fact that championing women in the identity industry is picking up steam, and the DIACC is pleased to be a champion of the conversation. The importance of breaking biases and having identity be the focus of plans for digital transformation, is the prevailing message of WID, and we wholeheartedly agree. 

International Women’s Day, held on March 8th each year, is a day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and girls, and raises awareness of the work that has yet to be completed. 

We reached out to several female DIACC members to find out how more women can be encouraged to pursue careers in tech, and why, ahead of March 8, 2020, diversity and inclusion are of utmost importance. Here, they share their collective insights. 

Inclusivity in the workplace 

“As women working in and leading in male-dominated industries like digital identity and technology, we have a responsibility to create a path to success for the women coming up behind us,” said Michelle Johnston, Consultant, Government Strategy and Innovation at Equifax Canada Co. This could involve inviting a junior colleague to a meeting, asking her opinion during that meeting, or, where possible, influencing decisions to make the workplace more family-friendly (such as avoiding scheduling meetings after 4:00 pm to accommodate a mother leaving early to pick up her child from daycare). 

“There is a saying: “over mentored and under sponsored,” explained Sandra Trenevska, Senior Product Manager at Interac Corp. “Although women are being mentored, not many are advocating for us. We need more men to advocate for us. But for them to address the things that hold us back, we also need to be vocal regarding the challenges that we face.” 

The importance of having diversity on teams 

Collaboration is at the core of the DIACC’s DNA, as we benefit from the input and involvement of those across a diverse array of backgrounds – and from both the public and private sectors. Why is diversity so important, in a team setting? 

Trenevska pointed to the importance of having diversity on teams, as products and services are not serving just one person. “As a product manager, when working with designers and developers, I make sure we use various methods and tools to better our understanding of the product from diverse perspectives,” she explained. “When I facilitate user research and testing, I always strive to have a representative sample of users to ensure we are being inclusive, from more obvious demographics, such as gender, age and ethnicity, to less common ones, such as skills, education, and accessibility.” 

Carrie Forbes, Chief Strategy Officer at League Data Ltd., noted that perceptions surrounding the technology industry serves as one of its biggest barriers. “We tend to see a perception of a ‘brogrammer’ culture of young white males in hoodies in a back room, but that’s not what [tech] is at all – today it’s a vast community of skills, including the arts, which is my background,” she said. “Diversity of thinking, skills and experiences are needed in this space more than ever, and we really need women’s influence and points of view to be successful, especially in an area like identity.”

Words of wisdom for future leaders 

“Show up and dive in – stay engaged, ask questions, and learn as much as you can,” advised Johnston. “The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it and that engagement and interest will be appreciated by the other women and men around the table.” 

“In short, my advice is to be brave and face your fears,” said Trenevska. “Realizing you just did something you never thought you could is one of the best feelings.”

Forbes emphasized trusting your inner voice. “When you see an opportunity that energizes and excites you, don’t screen yourself out, or become disheartened by statistics – ask yourself, ‘why not me?’ – and go for it!” 

This International Women’s Day, we want to thank you – our members, our digital identity trailblazers, for your continued commitment and support in driving digital identity forward, in Canada and around the world.