Experian report highlights technology gap between local government and public
- Added:
- Sep 09, 2008
According to a report published by Experian, two-thirds of the public like to use the web to complete simple tasks through government bodies, such as applying for travel cards or parking permits. However, the government workers themselves are somewhat slower to embrace the technology.
92% of local government respondents stated that they relied on paper documents for proof of identity, such as copies of passports, which have to be sent by post. As well as being open to the risk of fraud, a third of public respondents felt that this is an inconvenient way of dealing with local government offices.
Chris Bartlett, Head of Justice, Home Affairs and Security at Experian, commented: “Two thirds of British households now have the Internet and that figure is increasing year on year. We also lead increasingly busy lives so it is no wonder so many people would prefer to apply for services or benefits online.
“Old fashioned paper-based authentication is familiar to Local Government but these systems are frequently subject to forgery and fraud. Using electronic authentication to automate this process and reduce human interaction is the best way to make ID management more efficient. It has already proven to be safer, cheaper and more effective at highlighting fraudulent applications.”
Of the Local Authorities that do not currently use electronic authentication, only 10% said they are planning to switch in the next 12 months.