New Zealand’s Managed Isolation and Quarantine (“MIQ”) program were
keeping records of its staff during the “pandemic” using a JNCTN app.
Now, JNCTN-produced software tools are seeking to serve as digital ID
verification for staff of other organisations.
JNCTN has
partnered with a UK digital ID company Yoti and NEC New Zealand. The
JNCTN/NEC partnership integrates JNCTN’s cloud-based solutions within
NEC’s biometric authentication technology and processes
Yoti has
also partnered with the Scottish Government to provide a digital ID
system. At the same time as partnering with Yoti, the Scottish
Government partnered with cloud solutions provider Brightsolid.
The parallels between the two countries are not a coincidence.
Compulsory managed isolation and quarantine was announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on 9 April 2020, with the program coming into effect for people boarding flights to New Zealand from midnight that day. Anyone entering New Zealand was required to enter MIQ and isolation facilities were opened.
Covid travel restrictions provided the perfect opportunity for the New Zealand government to test a digital ID system within the MIQ program. When JNCTN heard about the government’s plans for MIQ facilities, it knew it had the right tools “to help.” The JNCTN app had been used by StayLive, an industry body for New Zealand’s electricity sector, since 2016 to record workers’ training and competencies.
“With the JNCTN app, there are no more spreadsheets that need to be maintained and uploaded by course administrators. You just scan the app at your course and the information is automatically available in the cloud, then you can scan in on-site straight away,” Jarrod Bowler, Group Manager of Safety and Wellness, Genesis, said. “The app is a digital wallet that contains all workers’ skills, as well as their academic record and licence details.”
In 2018, Yoti was selected by the States of Jersey as its official ID provider and had also worked with WorldPay, NHS Ipswich Hospital, the NSPCC and CitizenCard. But its partnership with the Scottish Government, the company said, could propel it to become the world’s most trusted identity platform.
In August 2018, Yoti partnered with the Scottish Government to trial a digital identity platform. “Scottish residents could use its biometric app to verify their identities to businesses, to prove they are of age to buy restricted goods, to access government services, to confirm their identities online, and to access websites without the need for a password,” Yoti’s website stated.
“Verified digital identities will help transform local and national services in Scotland as businesses and public bodies have confidence individuals are who they say they are; creating more trust and transparency in the details shared,” Tombs said.
The partnership was made through the Improvement Service, an organisation whose mandate is to improve local government services in Scotland. The Improvement Service runs the myaccount portal for local councils. It has added Yoti as a second registration method on the portal allowing users to verify their identity by scanning a QR code with their Yoti Digital ID.
In 2020 the Covid “pandemic” provided
the opportunity for Yoti to expand its digital ID services. It became
impossible for Scots to apply in person for a National Entitlement Card
(“NEC”) when council offices were forced to close. So, a new online portal for NEC applications was developed.
“To give applicants as much flexibility as possible,” they integrated
the Improvement Service’s digital identity app and embedded ID
verification technology to give people two ways to prove their identity –
by either uploading an ID document to the web portal or sharing
verified identity details from a Yoti Digital ID....<<<Read More>>>...