The UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework is a set of standards and best practices designed to enable the creation and use of digital identities for a wide variety of applications. The purpose of the framework is to provide reliable digital identity or attributes to the third party that know nothing about the individual.

This is a key priority of the UK Government’s strategy and has been designed to enable innovation, competition and provide transparency. To achieve this, the trust framework is expected to require the service providers become independently certified.

The UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework is being piloted on specific applications (schemes) including:

• Disclosure and Baring Service (DBS) digital vetting (certification required)
• Home Office Right to Work (certification encouraged)
• Right to Rent (certification encouraged)

The framework identifies the following roles:

• Identity Service Provider (ISP) – provide and verify user’s identity. User registers with and authorize their ISP to share their verified Digital Identity with relying parties e.g., mortgage provider.
• Attribute Service Providers (ASP) – provider collects, checks and creates user attributes within digital IDs. Users authorize the ASP to share their attributes with Identity Service Providers (ISPs) and with relying parties e.g., a landlord carrying out a right to rent check.
• Orchestration Service Providers (OSP) - ensure that data is securely shared between ISPs, ASPs and relying parties.
• Relying parties – consumer services provided by the trust framework. As an organization you could fulfil one or more of the provider roles. Participants in the framework will be certified against a set of government – approved rule.