Yearly Archives: 2020

Why Canada Needs a Digital ID Framework

Canada must become a nation of digital identity. 

What does this mean, exactly?

I believe that Canadians should be in control of their personal data. I also think that there should be standards and practices that help guide the way that citizens can safeguard their digital identity. In a world where entire economies are struggling thanks to the COVID-pandemic, the value of digital ID couldn’t be more relevant.

We are all collectively trying to adapt to the “new normal,” as many of us crave more social interaction and worry about financial stability. There’s never been a better time to invest in our national security and digital economy.

Canada has to become a nation of digital identity, and it should do so as soon as possible.

Digital ID is critical to the economy

Today, shortcomings in digital identity (such as data breaches and potential fraud) result in risks to individuals and businesses and hinder the growth of the digital economy. The entire economy is impacted.

The Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) estimates that the potential value that trusted digital identity could bring to the Canadian economy is at least 1 percent of Canada’s GDP, or CAD 15 billion.  

This is a significant amount of money, especially when you consider that the Canadian government plans to spend $10 billion to bail out its oil industry. Why can’t we invest in an infrastructure that prevents billions from being lost in the future?

There are also other economic benefits to be realized. In Canada, for instance, the DIACC and participating banks have determined potential net savings per institution at or above CAD 100 million per year, through operational efficiencies created by reducing manual processing costs, as well as reducing fraud.

A Remote Working Solution

More employees are being asked, or even required, to work remotely. This gives rise to new obstacles in terms of establishing secure connections, and maintaining data privacy poses a challenge. For example, each time an employee connects to their corporate network from their home; they create access points that hackers may exploit. 

There are already reports that hackers have sent phishing emails, claiming to be related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Google has stated that they have already blocked an average of 18 million emails per day this past week, as hackers try to capitalize on fears about public health. While public safety requires a rapid shift to remote working, this shift creates a greater strain on IT departments and existing infrastructure. 

Canada needs to establish a secure digital identity to enable organizations to streamline and secure their operations. This benefits so many aspects of a company, whether we are speaking to customer registration or credit risk assessment. The volume of online transactions is increasing in the shift towards a decentralized work environment. 

Canadians are shifting online to conduct important transactions and access services such as banking, education and e-commerce purchases. Canadians need a secure and safe environment to transact, both for business and personal needs. 

Data breaches continue to increase, as do concerns surrounding them. A recent survey from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada found that 92 percent of Canadians expressed concern about the protection of their privacy. 

Just two months ago, the personal information of over 140,000 Canadians was compromised. In fact, the information here was actually mishandled by Canadian departments and agencies, rather than a data breach or hack by a foreign government.

More Trust, Less Fear

Digital identity boils down to trust: trusting who is on the other end of a transaction and having confidence that one’s data is protected. Digital identity will enable that trust, and provide that secure digital social safety net that Canada urgently needs. 

At a time when Canadians are experiencing fear and anxiety, not knowing what lies in the weeks and months ahead, they deserve to have greater control over and protection of their data. Technology companies have the opportunity to step up and make this happen. 

As the global business landscape shifts along with the changing times, a secure digital identity becomes critical, as businesses will have to adjust their operating procedures. With a secure digital identity, employers will be able to keep more Canadians at work during a time of crisis. 

Collaboration Is Essential

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of community  – and banding together to share experiences and much-needed information, both on a local and global scale. 

A community of leaders from the public and private sectors have joined together in the DIACC to connect their in-depth knowledge and expertise to unlock digital identity capabilities of all sectors, to secure Canada’s full participation in the digital economy. 

Together, DIACC members and partners are delivering a Pan-Canadian Trust Framework to provide rules and tools to accelerate digital identity solutions and services that are designed with privacy and security as core principles. 

Furthermore, DIACC is working with members and partners to support near term identity-related projects to help Canadians in this urgent time of need. With the sole focus on making digital identity a reality for Canadians, DIACC takes a uniquely collaborative approach. The urgent need for digital identity is something that impacts us all, and we welcome all voices to the table. 

As we manage life and death immediate needs during this crisis, we must also commit to ensuring that Canada becomes a digital identity nation. 

Australia has notably taken tangible steps towards establishing a digital identity program. Specifically, the Australian government hopes to create a single digital ID for every Australian citizen by 2025. Michael Keenan, the Digital Minister of Australia, says plainly that the initiative will save the country “tens of billions of dollars per year.”

It’s also clear that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has already accomplished a lot in Europe in a relatively short period of time. The law has forced some of the most powerful tech companies in the world to rethink and revamp the way that they operate.

The majority of Canadian citizens support a digital identity framework. What are we waiting for, exactly?

We must do this now, so that when the next emergency hits, we are well-prepared. 

Spotlight on Mastercard

1. What is the mission and vision of Mastercard?

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. We recently committed to the Mastercard Data Responsibility Imperative, as we believe that innovation is critical to business success and goes hand in hand with the ethical use of data. 

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

Identity is what makes our existence in the world official: it is how countries recognize and see us, and it establishes citizens’ rights to national benefits. It is also the foundation for participating in the economy, and more importantly, to help grow the economy.

That economy is rapidly becoming digitized and globalized. Many of us live in a hyper-connected world, where digital services blend invisibly into our daily lives. It has changed the way we shop, do business, engage politically, obtain health services and communicate.

In all of this, trust is essential – organizations offering digital services and the people they are interacting with need to be confident of their interactions within this environment. A user-centric digital identity built on the premise of privacy- and security-by-design can help establish that confidence and trust as parties can validate who is on the other end of the transaction.

3. How will digital identity transform the Canadian and global economy? How does Mastercard address challenges associated with this transformation?

As the economy becomes increasingly digitized and globalized, identity will become our personal keys to every website, app and service. But the systems we have in place to establish, use and secure these crucial keys are fundamentally flawed.

An average user may be faced with 150 login accounts, all with disparate approaches to passwords and authentication. With the rapid growth of e-commerce, identity fraud is increasing, and that risk will multiply with the Internet of Things (IoT). It’s estimated that 75 billion smart devices will be in use across the globe by 2025. That’s why Mastercard unveiled its new Intelligence and Cyber Centre in Vancouver earlier this year. It will help us meet the growing demand for technology solutions to reduce the cost of cyber-attacks, enable today’s connected devices to become tomorrow’s secure payment devices, and address the growing vulnerabilities associated with IoT.

Last year, Mastercard introduced a consumer-centric model for digital identity. Guiding this model are the Principles of Digital Identity, which focuses on data rights and ownership, confidentiality, consent, transparency, security and inclusion. They amount to a fundamental individual right: “I own my identity and I control my identity data.”

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

Canada needs to fundamentally address how people manage their identity in a digital world, how that identity is verified, and how digital service providers that rely on that identity data can be best served. We need to build a digital identity system that answers the challenge without releasing the data, ensuring that the path forward is infinitely smarter and stronger than what we have now. Mastercard believes in local solutions and initiatives, such as the Department of Innovation, Science and Industry’s Digital Charter, as well as DIACC and its Pan-Canadian Trust Framework, that encourage domestic scale and global interoperability. At Mastercard, we believe scale is key to inclusion. 

5. Why did Mastercard join the DIACC?

Digital identity requires a collective effort, and Mastercard is committed to facilitating the network and helping define the rules and governance. Together, we have a real opportunity to transform digital engagement so that it’s convenient and doesn’t compromise on security.

We envision a digital identity service that is:

  • Simple: Enabling a user and a third party to interact easily, confidently, and with trust.
  • Smart: Allow digital interactions to occur with only minimal data exchanged.
  • Secure: Safeguarding data and the use of data effectively such that the rightful owners are in control. 

6. What else should we know about Mastercard?

Mastercard’s model for digital identity embodies privacy-by-design and does not aggregate identity data. It will enable digital interactions to occur with minimal data exchanged and only when needed. It will safeguard data and the use of data effectively such that the users are in control, with a person’s identity securely bound to their smartphone. Ultimately, the Mastercard model for digital identity enshrines the Mastercard Data Responsibility Imperative’s core principles aimed at ensuring innovation takes place in a responsible and secure way, driving relevant benefits for individuals and society.  

Subvention Internationale

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Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada obtient une subvention internationale pour développer la gestion, la sécurité et la confidentialité de l’identité en nuage

Ce financement vise à soutenir la recherche et le développement de nouvelles solutions en nuage – basées sur les valeurs canadiennes – afin de protéger les identités numériques et de forger l’économie numérique du Canada

TORONTO, mardi le 14 février 2017 – Le Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC), une coalition sans but lucratif de chefs de file des secteurs public et privé ayant pour vocation de développer un cadre canadien d’identification et d’authentification numériques, a annoncé aujourd’hui une nouvelle initiative de recherche appliquée, menée avec la collaboration de la société canadienne SecureKey Technologies, en vue de concevoir un écosystème de l’identité en nuage.

L’initiative, qui pourrait coûter jusqu’à 800 000 $, est le fruit d’une collaboration entre le DIACC et le Control and Interoperability Center for Advanced Data Analytics (CCICADA), un centre d’excellence en recherche de l’Université Rutgers financé par la Direction de la science et technologie du U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

« Le DIACC contribue à promouvoir l’innovation au Canada – au profit du monde entier – en catalysant la recherche innovatrice sur l’identité et l’authentification numériques, a déclaré Joni Brennan, présidente, DIACC. En cherchant avant tout à appliquer les valeurs canadiennes que sont le respect de la vie privée, la sécurité et la transparence au développement de l’écosystème mondial de l’identité numérique, le DIACC fait en sorte que le Canada soit un leader pour ce qui est de façonner l’économie numérique mondiale. Si le Canada compte saisir l’occasion qu’offre l’économie numérique, nous devons investir ensemble dans l’identité et l’authentification numériques – les rails de l’économie numérique.

Tirant parti des architectures de réseau distribuées (chaîne de blocs) modernes, l’écosystème de l’identité en nuage donnera aux entreprises, aux consommateurs, aux gouvernements et aux membres de la société civile du Canada les outils dont ils ont besoin pour gérer d’une façon sécuritaire les identités et les actifs numériques. L’écosystème sera bâti à l’intérieur d’un cadre qui protège et promeut les valeurs et les perspectives canadiennes, en appliquant les 10 principes adoptés par le DIACC, selon lesquels un écosystème de l’identité numérique de confiance doit :

  1. Être robuste, sûr et adaptable
  2. Instaurer, protéger et améliorer la protection intégrée de la vie privée
  3. Être inclusif, ouvert et adapté aux besoins généraux des parties prenantes
  4. Avoir une gouvernance et un fonctionnement transparents
  5. Offrir choix, contrôle et commodité
  6. Être construit sur des protocoles basés sur des normes ouvertes
  7. Permettre une interopérabilité avec les normes internationales
  8. Être économique et ouvert à la concurrence du marché
  9. Pouvoir être évalué et vérifié d’une façon indépendante, et être assujetti à l’application de la loi
  10. Réduire le transfert de données entre les sources autorisées et ne pas créer de nouvelles bases de données d’identification

« SecureKey est parfaitement déterminée à développer un écosystème en nuage national qui accorde la priorité aux consommateurs et qui accroît leur sécurité et leur confidentialité numériques, a indiqué Andre Boysen, chef de l’identité de SecureKey. Ce financement sera essentiel pour que cet engagement demeure une réalité, en faisant en sorte que les consommateurs aient accès à une protection numérique sûre. »

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À propos du Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada

Fruit du groupe de travail sur l’examen des systèmes de paiement mis sur pied par le gouvernement fédéral, le Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) est une coalition sans but lucratif de leaders des secteurs public et privé qui a pour vocation de développer un cadre canadien d’identification et d’authentification numériques afin de permettre au Canada de participer pleinement et en toute sécurité à l’économie numérique mondiale. Les membres du DIACC comprennent des représentants des gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux ainsi que des chefs de file du secteur privé.

Le DIACC a pour objectif d’offrir des débouchés économiques aux consommateurs et aux entreprises du Canada en fournissant le cadre voulu pour développer un écosystème d’identification et d’authentification numériques à la fois robuste, sécuritaire, évolutif et plus confidentiel, qui va réduire les coûts des gouvernements, des consommateurs et des entreprises tout en favorisant la croissance du PIB. Pour atteindre cet objectif, le DIACC collabore avec des partenaires – au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde – afin de catalyser les investissements et les collaborations liés à l’identité et l’authentification numériques. Pour en savoir davantage, visitez www.diacc.ca ou suivez-nous sur twitter @mydiacc

À propos du Command, Control and Interoperability Center for Advanced Data Analysis

Le Command, Control and Interoperability Center for Advanced Data Analysis (CCICADA) est un centre d’excellence universitaire du U.S. Department of Homeland Security qui utilise des analyses de données et des systèmes avancés pour s’attaquer aux menaces naturelles et humaines contre la sécurité et la sûreté des Américains. Le travail du CCICADA est accompli par des chercheurs et des étudiants de 17 institutions partenaires. L’Université d’État Rutgers du New Jersey est le principal partenaire. Le directeur du CCICADA est le Dr Fred Roberts, professeur de mathématiques à Rutgers.

À propos de SecureKey Technologies

SecureKey est un fournisseur d’identité et d’authentification de premier plan, qui simplifie l’accès des consommateurs aux services et aux applications en ligne. SecureKey crée un réseau d’identité et d’authentification de prochaine génération, qui protège davantage la vie privée en offrant aux gens un accès pratique à des services en ligne essentiels grâce aux identifiants numériques qu’ils possèdent déjà et auxquels ils font confiance. SecureKey a son siège social à Toronto et des bureaux à Boston et à San Francisco. Pour plus de renseignements, visitez www.securekey.com.

Renseignements :

Krista Pawley

Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada

info@diacc.ca

416-270-9987

DIACC Investir au Québec, investir dans l’identité numérique

Le Canada a un besoin urgent d’un véritable écosystème d’identité numérique pancanadien qui soit sûr, respectueux de la vie privée et facile à utiliser.

C’est pourquoi DIACC se concentre à accélérer la livraison d’une identité numérique véritablement pancanadienne qui fonctionne pour tous les Canadiens et assure notre participation pleine et bénéfique à l’économie numérique mondiale.

Une approche véritablement pancanadienne de l’identité numérique doit représenter la diversité et les cultures de tous les Canadiens. Pour établir une approche véritablement pancanadienne, le DIACC collabore avec les entreprises du secteur privé du Canada de toutes tailles, ainsi qu’avec le gouvernement fédéral, les provinces et les territoires du Canada. La stratégie du DIACC privilégie une approche économique et sociétale des avantages pour tous.

DIACC est fier de contribuer dans la réussite du Canada grâce à deux nouvelles
initiatives :

  1. Nous sommes très heureux d’accueillir notre nouveau membre de l’équipe – François Bedard. François est l’ambassadeur franco-canadien du DIACC pour le Québec. François aidera DIACC à s’engager avec le Québec et tous les francophones du Canada d’un océan à l’autre.
  2. Nous sommes également heureux d’annoncer que DIACC relancera
    DIACC.ca dans les deux langues officielles du Canada.

Et maintenant … veuillez rencontrer François Bebard.

Création du Premier Laboratoire National D’Identité Numérique

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Création du Premier Laboratoire National D’Identité Numérique

Toronto, Gatineau, le 19 mars 2020 – Le Conseil canadien de l’identification et de l’authentification numériques (CCIAN/DIACC) s’associe avec la grappe canadienne de l’industrie de la cybersécurité, In-Sec-M, pour créer le premier laboratoire national d’identité numérique.

En maximisant les forces de leurs membres respectifs, les deux organisations ont commencé à identifier et énumérer les besoins pour le futur laboratoire, en plus de mettre en place une communauté d’intérêt qui valorisera cette initiative.

En tant qu’entité indépendante sans but lucratif dédiée à fournir des services au secteur public et au secteur privé, le Laboratoire d’identité numérique du Canada se fonde sur des principes d’ouverture, de transparence et de bonne gouvernance afin de démontrer le plus haut niveau de neutralité du marché.

Lorsqu’il sera opérationnel, le Laboratoire permettra aux organisations innovantes canadiennes de tester et de certifier leurs solutions d’identité numérique.

« Le laboratoire d’identité numérique est bénéfique pour tous les Canadiens en promouvant l’adoption de solutions d’identité numérique centrées sur l’utilisateur par les organismes publics et privés », a affirmé Pierre Roberge, président du Laboratoire d’identité numérique du Canada.

Un écosystème de leaders du domaine de l’identité numérique, provenant à la fois du secteur public et du secteur privé, contribuent déjà au développement et au soutien du Laboratoire. « À toutes les parties qui désirent contribuer, modeler, utiliser et supporter le laboratoire : nous vous demandons de bien vouloir vous manifester pour faire connaître vos intérêts » a ajouté M. Roberge.

« In-Sec-M est un leader canadien de la cybersécurité », a noté Joni Brennan, présidente de CCIAN/DIACC. « Nous allons travailler ensemble afin de développer un écosystème d’innovation qui servira de modèle pour le reste du monde ».

CCIAN/DIACC et In-Sec-M partagent des valeurs communes et se réjouissent de collaborer dans le domaine de l’identité numérique au Canada et ailleurs.

« Les deux organisations valorisent une identité numérique forte afin de protéger les canadiens et leurs données personnelles » a précisé Antoine Normand, président de In-Sec-M. « Nous partageons également une approche semblable, favorisant les partenariats public-privé sur l’identité numérique, et nous voulons que le Canada se positionne comme un leader international pour la protection de la vie privée et de l’identité numérique ».

À propos du Conseil canadien de l’identification et de l’authentification numériques (CCIAN)

Le CCIAN est un regroupement sans but lucratif de leaders du secteur public et du secteur privé visant le développement d’une infrastructure canadienne d’identification et d’authentification numérique afin de permettre une participation pleine et sécuritaire du Canada dans l’économie numérique mondiale. Le CCIAN a été créé à la suite du groupe de travail sur l’examen du système de paiement du gouvernement fédéral et les membres comprennent des représentants du gouvernement fédéral, des gouvernements provinciaux et des leaders du secteur privé.

À propos de In-Sec-M

Organisation sans but lucratif créée en 2017, In-Sec-M est la grappe industrielle qui réunit des entreprises, des centres de formation et de recherche ainsi que des acteurs gouvernementaux en vue d’augmenter la cohésion et la compétitivité de l’industrie canadienne de la cybersécurité, à l’échelle nationale et internationale. Reconnue comme centre d’excellence numérique, la grappe In-Sec-M est financée par les gouvernements du Québec et du Canada pour mobiliser les acteurs clés en vue d’accroître les capacités d’innovation, de croissance et de rayonnement des entreprises dans ce domaine.

À propos du Laboratoire d’identité numérique du Canada

Le Laboratoire d’identité numérique (LaboIDN) est un organisme canadien à but non lucratif réunissant des entités publiques et privées afin de d’accélérer l’adoption de solutions d’identité numérique centrées sur l’utilisateur en favorisant la conformité et l’interopérabilité des composants identitaires numériques.

Contact: info@diacc.ca

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.didlab.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.

Spotlight on Northern Block

  1. What is the mission and vision of Northern Block?

Northern Block is a blockchain consulting and venture creation firm that develops production-grade software, using cutting-edge blockchain and distributed technologies.

The Northern Block team has dedicated themselves to building blockchain solutions because they believe that it unlocks a vast array of social and economic benefits. For people, having control over one’s own identity and money can solve important issues such as privacy, inequality and misaligned incentives with companies selling products. For the public and private sectors, blockchain enables the creation of trust through decentralized transparency. This, in turn, creates significant operational efficiencies and enhances customer experiences, increasing brand loyalty.

We live in a time in which trust in institutions is diminishing every year – yet blockchain can solve this trust problem, which is why Northern Block will continue innovating to help create a better world.

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

Creating trusted ways of managing identities is just as important in existing markets as it is in emerging ones. With everything in people’s lives gone or going digital, it is important that standards and mechanisms be put in place to empower people, organizations and things. 

For people, owning your digital identity empowers you to be in the driver’s seat in regards to who accesses and controls your information. For organizations, trustworthy identities can significantly lower operating costs and facilitate global growth. For things, we can have assurance that our devices don’t spy on us and aren’t subject to misaligned incentives. 

Overall, trusted digital identities will create better forms of accountability than exists today in all markets.

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

Digital identities will help the Canadian economy in many facets, such as enhancing activities related to immigration and citizenship, as well as global affairs and innovation.

Today, many Canadian organizations don’t recognize foreign institutions because there’s no way of checking the legitimacy of their credentials. With digital identity, a person can use indirect reputations, such as using credentials from a Canadian institution vouching that a foreign credential is equivalent, or of certain standards. This breakthrough would create fair opportunities for immigrants, while ensuring the Canadian economy can maximize its workforce potential.

For global affairs, how can you trust an international company that you haven’t dealt with beforehand? Just like with individuals, digital identities can enable reliable foreign company reputations, while promoting safe and sustainable globalization for Canadian institutions.

Digital identities will enable new types of businesses and allow enterprises and start-ups to innovate. While some of the benefits from digital identities are clear, we don’t yet know the full extent of new business models that become possible. Just like when big technological advancements such as the internet or blockchain came along, it took time for new opportunities to be identified.

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

Canada needs to lead by example in the digital identity space. Interestingly enough, Canada is behind many others in the space, as there are quite a few countries with existing private key infrastructures run by the Government (such as India, Dubai and Estonia). 

Because the Canadian ministries are already decentralized, digital identity solutions are even more valuable to our Government. With a trustworthy digital identity, instead of the Canadian Government coordinating touchpoints, the citizens can coordinate with Governments themselves, as it’s difficult today for Government organizations to create interoperability between themselves. 

  1. Why did Northern Block join the DIACC?

Northern Block is ‘all in’ with digital identities, with the belief that blockchain technology is the solution to creating trusted identity solutions, and keen to contribute in making this technology a success in Canada.

  1. What else should we know about Northern Block?

For the past three years, Northern Block has been building enterprise software solutions that use blockchain. For every solution to be truly decentralized, decentralized digital identities are necessary. For this reason, the company has ongoing projects that use digital identities, and  gained their initial experience by developing an identity project for the Ontario Government.
Lastly, Northern Block hosts the  #SSIToronto meetup group, which helps to educate the community about the many benefits of self-sovereign identity and how this technology could be implemented.


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

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