We’re pretty sure that you have heard the phrase ‘it’s all online now’ or ‘we’re going digital’ pop up in conversations when it comes to dealing with banking, employment, retail, taxes…you name it!
There’s no avoiding the digital world now. It has gone to the point where this realm seems to be slowly taking over our personal identity. A recent article released by Professional Security Magazine online has looked into digital identity and how it will potentially be the norm of the future.
We’re sure you have been held up at the airport by the UK border force who are now encouraging e-passport holders to enter the barriers using facial recognition, or even been made to verify yourself on online banking apps. Although this isn’t something you have to do on a daily basis, what if virtual verification is becoming the norm?
Everything’s digital, so what’s the big deal?
Technology has become our best friend. One thing we have seen during this pandemic is just how much we rely on technology for work purposes as well as for personal use and leisure activities. Some of you may have entrance cards or badges to permit you access into buildings for employment. In fairness, our smart devices now can operate on voice and fingerprint recognition so is it all that bad?
But with technology comes risks. These risks will always create potential threats for our safety and security.
How can we be sure it’s you? How safe and secure are these measures?
You go to a bank to deposit £500 into your account and you might need to verify yourself as the cardholder at the counter. Sometimes, you will need to present a form of ID; the transaction goes through within minutes and it’s a pretty straightforward process.
But imagine the same procedure is done online, how can you verify yourself? How can you prove to be the account holder? Perhaps we’re exaggerating with this example, but think about it. The amount of times we purchase goods over the net or subscribe to things and key in our card details, how often are we asked to ‘verify ourselves?’
Think about how easy it is to purchase goods online or fill out an application, if it’s easy to whizz through these platforms, imagine how easily hackers and scammers can find out your personal details.
Are we losing our ‘personal identity’?
A striking point the article touched on was the idea that workplaces and government institutions are now looking towards creating digital IDs.
Technology has become so advanced that it’s not just your name, address and date of birth that can be kept on record, but fingerprints, medical records, family history. Everything to your name can now be kept on a unique file which makes a persona easier to identify and digital ID can make it easier to track individuals.
With so much information on us, could this be an infringement to our privacy? Having all of our details stored digitally, would this mean that we no longer have control over the personal information that we share with others?
How reliable is technology?
The downside to technology whether it’s a smartphone, tablet or centralised computer is that they are all prone to breakdowns. So what happens when a government system online comes crashing down?
There’s so much talk about data protection and laws on what can and can’t be shared with personal information, so when something digitally collapses, how can we guarantee that an individual’s identity doesn’t end up in the wrong hands?
We know data backups exist and information stored digitally can be easily retrieved if lost. But like we mentioned before, technology breakdowns can create a path for hackers to extract personal information unlawfully.
We know as we progress with technology, there will be no avoiding it. The digital world is slowly shaping many aspects of our work and personal life, but this is something to consider before we start to move every aspect of identity verification online. Although it is easier and less time consuming online, there needs to be safer measures and security to be implemented before new schemes like digital IDs are rolled out to the general public.
Thanks for reading our article. Do you have a security story you would like to share? Let us know!
