1. Document verification and identity management
Anna Johnston
Chair, Australian Privacy Foundation
Document verification and identity management
Safeguarding Australia 2005
12 July 2005, Canberra

2. Risks of centralised identity models
makes identity fraud / theft easier
only need to hack one database, or bribe one person, or forge one document
false sense of security
remedying identity theft much harder for the victim
plus privacy risks!

3. DVS : what we know aims to tackle problem of fake foundation documents
strengths:
allows dispersed identity model
‘blind’ system, no data retained
limitations:
won’t deal with ‘real’ foundation documents obtained fraudulently

4. DVS : what we don’t know cost of problem intended to fix?
cost of strategy (including DVS)?
will it be effective? on what types of identity fraud?
what other options are there?
what might undermine the strategy?

5. UK examples of costs cost of identity fraud est. £1.3 billion pa
approx £35 million pa to be eliminated by national ID card
LSE estimates cost of national ID card at between £10.6 billion and £19.2 billion
solution costs much more than problem

6. Are we all on board?
Medicare smartcard risks becoming a de facto national ID card
NSW combined driver & non-driver photo ID card - unique and universal identifier
Various State & Federal proposals increase risk of identity fraud because of centralised identity models