This is a relatively new area of accreditation and refers to a set of technologies and processes used to verify identities and manage trust in digital environments. These services are critical in the modern digital landscape, where verifying the identity of individuals and entities online and ensuring the integrity of their interactions is essential.
Digital Identification involves identifying an individual, organisation, or device using digital means. It typically involves the collection and verification of information to establish a digital identity. This could be as simple as creating a user profile on a platform or as complex as biometric identification systems used by government entities.
Once a digital identity is established, authentication processes are used to verify that identity whenever access to systems or services is attempted. This often involves passwords, biometric scans (like fingerprints or facial recognition), or behavioural biometrics (such as typing patterns). More secure systems might use multi-factor authentication (MFA), which requires more than one method of verification.
Trust services are designed to ensure the security and integrity of interactions and transactions in digital environments. They can include the creation and management of digital certificates (which verify the legitimacy of websites and encrypt data), electronic signatures, secure electronic delivery services, and website authentication.
Another important and emerging area that falls within this broad subject matter is Age Assurance, which specifically refers to the methods and technologies used to determine or verify the age of a user in digital environments. This is crucial for accessing age-restricted content, products, or services online, such as alcoholic beverages, tobacco, gambling sites, or certain types of digital media.
As digital interactions continue to grow in both complexity and frequency, UKAS continues to support the accreditation of new and innovative conformity assessment services and to ensure these services adhere to the highest standards of security and reliability, thereby supporting a secure and seamless digital future.
Find out more about UKAS accreditation in the digital sector here.
