By: Andre Boysen, CIO, SecureKey
Today is an exciting day for SecureKey – we are excited to officially announce that Verified.Me, our digital identity network, is now available for Canadians. Through Verified.Me, consumers of CIBC, Desjardins, RBC, Scotiabank and TD are now able to help verify their identities online with the services they need in a privacy-enhanced and secure way. We are also thrilled to have Sun Life Financial and Equifax join as early adopters – with many more coming soon as the network continues to evolve.
SecureKey and the network participants across the financial, telecommunications and insurance industries have been working toward this day since the concept of Verified.Me was first discussed over three years ago. Organizations across a number of sectors have joined the network to reduce the risk of fraud while increasing the certainty that they are receiving accurate and trusted information about their customers – allowing for better, safer and quicker delivery of services. We couldn’t have achieved this key phase without the brilliant minds and diverse talents that make up the organizations integrated in the Verified.Me network.
Together with our network participants, we created Verified.Me with the consumer in mind, recognizing that the traditional approaches of in-person and physical transactions are very outdated, with identity verification processes often taking days or even weeks to accomplish. Waiting in long lineups to show several pieces of ID and answering multiple security questions are just a few of the hassles that come with verifying your identity to get access to the services and products you want. It’s not only a frustration among consumers, but it’s a process that delays access to services and is subject to fraud, data breaches and human error.
For Canadians, the launch of Verified.Me marks a milestone in digital identity and the way you gain access to certain services online. Now, the process of helping to verify your identity can be done quicker and in a more secure way. Through Verified.Me, we’re committed to helping you verify your identity through the personal information that you consent to share from your Connections, which are participating organizations that you already transact with and trust.
How does Verified.Me work?
Verified.Me is a free(1) mobile app that uses blockchain technology to securely and privately share your personal information with the service providers you authorize to receive information through Verified.Me. Only the information that is requested for each unique transaction is shared by your Connections, and only with your consent. Security and privacy are key – Verified.Me is protected with strong security protocols to protect your personal information from being identified, accessed or misused.
With Verified.Me, your personal information will continue to be stored and maintained by your trusted Connections. To get started, once you download the app, you can create a profile using the online and mobile banking credentials you already have with your financial institution. Once this is complete, you are then able to add other Connections to your profile. Connections are trusted organizations that already have personal information about you through your existing services with them – like your financial institution. You can authorize which service providers are able to receive information about you that is held by your Connections, and when.
How does Verified.Me benefit you?
- Verified.Me saves you time and reduces the need to compile documents or go in person to register for new services or products. With the Verified.Me app, the days of playing the “waiting game” are over, as you can use the information that is already held by your Connections to quickly gain access to the services you need.
- Verified.Me provides you with control and reduces the oversharing of information – you can manage where, when and why your information is shared. This means that you have control over your information and reserve the right to keep it protected.
We look forward to continue empowering Canadians to be in control and demand better protection of their digital identities. We’re honoured to be part of the evolution of digital identity to provide better services and, more importantly, providing peace of mind that your identity is within your control.
As we continue to expand our network, we want to thank the network participants and users of Verified.Me. We look forward to continuing to transition how identity verification is viewed, from being an inconvenient task to an exciting, easy, convenient and quick one.
Don’t wait to get started! The Verified.Me app is available for all iOS and Android mobile phone users through the App Store and Google Play.
Ready to try? Check out our step-by-step tutorials on getting started with Verified.Me here: https://verified.me/getting-started/