Australians to us QR codes to verify ID under new trial
You'll soon be able to verify your identity with a business or service through a smart phone with the rollout of new technology funded by the Federal government. Labor says the system will be more secure and save time. But there are concerns about how much data the government could collect.
Transcript
00:00Australians became familiar with scanning QR codes during the COVID pandemic, but the
00:06government says this is different.
00:09Text is something brand new and world leading.
00:12Labor says businesses will soon be able to opt into technology called trust exchange
00:16or text to verify a customer's identity, allowing personal information the government already
00:22has to be shared with the tap of a phone.
00:26A secure means by which to exchange with a third party who you are.
00:30The aim is for customers to hand over less personal data, preventing businesses from
00:35storing it and becoming targets for hackers.
00:39So how would this work in practice?
00:41Say you're checking into a hotel and would usually hand over your passport.
00:46With text, you'd scan a QR code at the front desk that digitally shakes hands with your
00:51myGov app.
00:52The app lets you choose what personal information gets shared with the hotel and you'll have
00:57a record in your myGov app of what you shared and where.
01:02Cyber experts have concerns about that record.
01:05The government's involved in every transaction, then they have the potential to know that
01:09I've gone to this hotel at this time.
01:11But the government says it won't be tracking how people use the technology.
01:16Australians would understandably want to be satisfied that the privacy issues have been
01:19thought through here.
01:20With text, data will be secure.
01:23Text will be time-saving, it'll be money-saving.
01:26Minister Shorten says companies such as Google and Telstra will be involved in developing
01:31the technology, with a pilot ready to be trialled next year.