Exploring Aotearoa’s Approach to Digital Identity

This project pertains to the broader issue of data privacy, the regulatory sphere in which agencies are expected to protect people from data misuse risks and concerns. The project narrows in on digital identity as the underpinning to all digital interactions, navigating through Aotearoa’s approach to digital identity for the individuals in the community. The research identifies critical issues under current settings, like a lack of trust and transparency from the entities in control, a lack of understanding and knowledge from the user’s perspective and neither stakeholder meeting the education and engagement needed in developing the digital identity sector. The design explores the concepts through speculative design, service design, and prototyping sensors that have the potential to enhance privacy through verification methods. The output leverages decentralised privacy-enhancing technologies within a speculative service allowing the people of Aotearoa to manage and control their data in a service that enhances the user experience through engaging design and connection. The outputs aim to provide suggestions and recommendations for creating an enhanced digital identity service that is trustworthy, transparent, teaches and brings people and their data together. Overall this research continues the ongoing discussion of innovating an increasingly complex digital landscape.