Australia Will Let People Switch Off Their Own Identity Documents

Australians will be able to block the use of their driver licence or passport for identity checks under IDLock, a service the federal government will run through myGov.

The service lets people block, unblock and monitor the use of eligible identity documents through the Document Verification Service at any time. Someone whose licence details surfaced in a breach could switch that document off for verification purposes and turn it back on later.

IDLock is a new route into the Credential Protection Register, which the Commonwealth established in 2022 to stop compromised documents being used to build a fraudulent identity. Since late 2022 the register has blocked more than 830,000 fraudulent verification attempts, an average of around 18,000 a month.

“Australians deserve to have control over how their personal identity information, such as their driver licence or passport, is used to verify their identity online,” Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said.

Rowland framed the service as a shift in timing, moving the framework from responding after credentials are compromised toward letting people act before identity crime occurs. “Whether their driver licence details have been exposed in a data breach or they are concerned about scams and identity theft, IDLock will give Australians an accessible and simple way to have greater visibility, control and confidence in how their identity documents are used,” she said. The department pointed people to the IDMatch site for information on identity verification services and to IDCARE for support with scams and identity theft.

A small cohort will get early access for testing later this year, ahead of a broader national rollout in 2027.

The government released the service alongside a consultation paper and draft legislation on privacy. Those reforms would add a fair and reasonable test limiting what companies can collect, a right to erasure covering large digital platforms, stronger consent standards, and restrictions on trading personal information. They would also apply privacy rules to wearables such as smart glasses and to connected vehicles that continuously collect personal information. Submissions close on 18 September.

Rowland said almost four in five Australians report having very little or no control over how their personal information is collected or used.

Australia has been building out the technical side of its identity system in parallel, seeking upgraded liveness detection for the national digital ID app earlier this year.

Sources: Attorney-General’s portfolio

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team