Photo: AJY
Digital ID has finally arrived for the ‘Big 4’.
BANKS LAUNCH DIGITAL ID
The four major banks in Australia – Commonwealth Bank (CBA), National Australia Bank (NAB), ANZ (through ANZ Plus) and Westpac – are now offering well over 10 million customers the ability to “verify themselves and securely share their data” via the new Digital ID solution, ConnectID.
The institutions have successfully implemented the service in a push to “make it significantly easier for individuals to protect their privacy online”, “enhance protection”, and “reduce data exposure across Australia”.
An initiative of Australian Payments Plus (AP+), ConnectID is described as “the bridge between trusted Identity Providers and the business requesting the information”.
“A person can use ConnectID as a way to verify themselves as they interact online. This helps customers avoid having to over-share whole identity documents like driver licenses and passports where they aren’t needed.”
They say it will ‘simplify the process of confirming identity and sharing data digitally’, with users who sign up simply redirected to their Identity Provider’s app to share, no need to download or sign up to a new service.
Andrew Black, Managing Director of ConnectID at AP+, emphasised the significance of the country’s major banks’ support: “ConnectID represents a game-changer for individuals who want more control over their data. Our solution empowers people to verify their identity securely without oversharing, and the support of the big four banks offering millions of Australians a trusted and seamless way to use digital identity is vital.”
These are sectors where the need to confirm individuals’ identities is critical and where data often changes hands, which generates the need to invest in data storage and security that is not core to their business. Digital ID solutions can eliminate these needs and reduce risk in the process.
Every single bank is in on it. Here is what they all had to say:
Gavin Leon, General Manager of Open Banking at Commonwealth Bank, stressed the importance of reducing the overall amount of data floating around: “CBA continues to invest in digital identity as an important building block of Australia’s digital economy. ConnectID offers our customers greater control over their data, enabling them to share only what is necessary, all backed by the security of the CommBank app.”
Westpac Managing Director of Consumer Finance and Chief Digital Officer, Jason Hair, says the bank invests heavily in keeping customers safe online, with data protection a priority: “Investing in and adopting tools such as ConnectID allow us to help our customers keep their data better protected – backed by our app’s robust safety and security measures.”
Gabriel Steele, General Manager of Customer Identity & Identity Services at ANZ Plus, added: ”At ANZ Plus, we’re focused on the security of our customers. Through partnering with ConnectID, ANZ Plus customers are provided a secure and convenient way to verify their identity with approved third parties, helping put customers back in control of the data they share while delivering a smoother online experience.”
At NAB, the focus is on ‘giving customers flexibility and control’, as the Chief Digital Officer, Sujeet Rana at National Australia Bank (NAB), explained: “At NAB, empowering our customers is at the heart of what we do and choosing who you trust to verify you is just one of the ways we hand back control. With ConnectID, our customers can securely verify their identity and maintain visibility over where they’ve shared their data, and with whom. Plus, nothing is shared without express consent. This is an exciting milestone in Australia’s digital identity journey.”
The process is initiated with the customer’s consent at the moment, much like myGovID, and ‘as the technical intermediary’, ConnectID says they ‘do not see or store any of the customer’s data’.
We shall see about that, and for how long it remains ‘optional’.
The flood gates for digital identification as means of verification are now open thanks to the passing of legislation late-last year, as the Albanese government alters Australia forever.
THE DIGITAL DYSTOPIA
We first revealed in 2023 that Australia’s major banks would soon provide identity checking as a new service, as part of the newly-created Australian Payments Plus investment service.
“This is a moment of truth, having a national digital identity ecosystem for Australia backed by some of the largest organisations in the country in terms of size and coverage and trust,” said Andrew Black, Managing Director of connectID at AP+ said at the time.
So why is it happening now?
Well, it’s simple: Australia’s digital identification went LIVE in December 2024, and with that now in place, the floodgates have been opened for not only government programs, but ‘approved third parties’.
Banks are simply the first to be approved under this new scheme. For you see, many envision Digital ID as a singular program or database — but it’s not. The government will have one, banks will have one, and as society continues to embrace biometrics, it could even reach the consumer market one day.
We have warned of this plan for many years, first alerting the public of the $200 million push by our Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) in 2020, and again in 2023 when the draft details were released.
Of course, we have spoken about it for many years prior. The good old days when Digital ID was just a ‘conspiracy theory’, right everyone? Now we live in a world where it has arrived.
The banking sector is one of the driving forces in the private sector, Mastercard, for example, launched their “smile to pay” system, supposed to ‘save time’ for customers at checkouts with biometrics.
How long before this type of program moves from ‘optional’ to ‘mandatory’?
Especially when so-called ‘cyber attacks’ are potentially being used as a means to mandate this type of ‘greater security’ for our devices and banks in a world of advanced technology.
Next on the agenda is Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC), which the Reserve Bank of Australia is already piloting across the country. We await news on when this will be moved on. Potentially with news of Trump’s executive order on CBDCs, they may wait a little bit for now. But, like Digital ID, it is in the works.
Would you continue to use your bank if they required you to use Connect ID as a requirment?
What are your thoughts on all of this?
Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comment section below!
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THANK GOD – FOR THE GREEN TICK SOCIETY! Does this Digitisation, now mean, that the Big 4 SAME bank, will let Folks ‘Know’ Who’s CoOpting Monopolisations in Market places, & Why the RBA IS, just another Central Banking PET?
it also amazes me, that apparently (Or AppA-RentLie), by providing MORE Private personal Identification, this ‘Somehow’, makes the Banking Systems ‘More Secure’! I’d say ‘Hackable’, but The CorpoRATs & buddies in Cyber Cops, already have The Major Franchise in this theatre! = MORE SCAMS FROM ‘PROFESSIONALS’!
SOoo Whatever! Easy fix.= Debank THE 4 Major Banks & shift to a Community bank – I’m sure They’ll get the message! (Along with Elections due soon, for another GlobAlist ‘Installed’ UniParty NotMyGov.).
Wellness. – Can’t wait for the electrical grid or NBN (NoBloodyNetwork) to go offline, & see how their Collective Digits appear then!
Exactly John! Hackers will love the extra ID.
Sorry mate that have that stiched up as well under this bullshit ESG compliance if the corporations don’t comply it costs them more to participate. I asked my local tyrant Federal MP Anne Webster about my concerns about the digital identity April last year I need to charge her with Malfeasance in office
Just like we are forced to give up our cheque books, it will slowly creep in that we will have no choice.I stocked up as much as I could with cheques because I pay my rent with them. But once they run out I can no longer get anymore and will be forced to use a third party method to pay my rent. Rental agency does not accept cash and it costs you to use your card. They also will no accept direct banking into their account. Sadly many people will jump at this idea and take part willingly. Just like driving licence digital ID. Soon it will be that we will only be able to drive with a digital licence.
They sold the road authorities off with our private information without our consent this is fraud there is no contract with them
Well think of those poor children your saving and their bank account!!. They will never be offended or brain washed by anyone or any media platforms ever again and never have there money scammed ever in their life (Living the dream). Just need to hurry up and totally remove cash money before the election so nobody has a choice and is forced to digital ID. HAPPY DAYS FOR AUSTRALIA, ha ha.