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Home / Podcast  / Joni Brennan on digital identity and the future of data (listen)

Joni Brennan on digital identity and the future of data (listen)

You are who you are. At least, you might know that. But how is someone online supposed to know? Is it even necessary? How can authenticating ourselves on the web combat trolling, illicit activities, and more? What are the implications for society? And what about keeping our data safe?

These are big questions, sure. but they’re the kind of questions Joni Brennan deals with. After all, she’s the president of the Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC). 

While much of her work is focused on what’s happening in Canada, Brennan also focuses on global issues with digital ID and data. According to her, New Zealand has been a strong contributor to the global digital identity landscape. “It was New Zealand that, very early on, recognised that proving one’s identity (identity proofing) should be kept as a separate function from that authentication (credential) management. The idea here is that the two functions are distinctly separate and yet related.  Componentisation of functions is part of a broader strategy to manage and innovate within complex systems. Other countries around the world have since followed this practice. Further, New Zealand is small enough to be more agile in ideating, testing, and launching new innovations.”

Brennan – who’ll be speaking in New Zealand at payments NZ’s The Point conference in Auckland from June 26-27 – says more. “I’ve seen all sort of New Zealanders working to innovate. From the next evolution of the RealMe service to a revamped data strategy leveraging APIs for citizen access and control of data. The New Zealand government’s innovations lab is churning out interesting findings that can help lead the world.”

But don’t take our word for it. Have a listen below to what she had to say.

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