The Digital Veteran Card will be the first digital credential to be stored in the GOV.UK Wallet, a government minister has told Parliament.
Al Carns, minister for veterans and people at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), was responding to questions from Conservative MP Mark Francois on the plans for the digital card, which is currently being developed by the MoD with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
He said that later this year it will be the first credential to be available in the GOV.UK Wallet, which is being created by the Government Digital Service to hold government issued documents on a smartphone.
“The Digital Veteran Card will be saved securely in the GOV.UK Wallet, allowing veterans to show it to organisations on their smartphones and prove their eligibility to access services,” Carns said.
“The GOV.UK Wallet follows industry standards for security, and further technical standards will be adhered to in order to ensure interoperability.
“The Veteran Card credential will enable a veteran to prove they are a veteran to an organisation without disclosing unnecessary information. This can reduce the sensitive information organisations might otherwise collect and therefore avoid unnecessary data sharing.”
Login and data protection
Carns added that the digital card will use the GOV.UK One Login service for users to securely prove their identity online, and that the MoD has worked with veteran charities and associations on its design, and that it will not include any sensitive information on service history.
Physical versions of the Veteran Card are held by over 250,000 former service personnel to prove their record in accessing support on issues such as healthcare, housing and employment.
The digital version will be optional for veterans.