The Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC), a consortium of public and private sector organizations developing a universal Canadian digital identification framework, recently took on a new member: Acuant, a global provider of identity verification technology. Members of the consortium work together in committees to create a Canadian-specific identification and authentication ecosystem to be used for the private and public sector.

“We are excited to join this group and see this as a global mission. The identity landscape is evolving, and we want security and privacy to mirror this to allow the owners of their identities to be in control,” said Yossi Zekri, president and CEO at Acuant. “Becoming a member of DIACC is a natural extension of who Acuant is and what we stand for—creating a safe ecosystem for digital identities that is embedded with security, privacy and scalability.”

Acuant’s Technology

Powered by AI and human-assisted machine learning, Acuant offers patented technology that prioritizes one thing above all: trust. The trusted transactions that Acuant facilitates driven by consumers minimizes risk, lending users agency over their data. And as the sphere of digital identity verification expands and bleeds into other spheres, from advanced government services to private sector transactions, Acuant strives to maintain a high standard of privacy and a fundamental respect for human rights.

Acuant has completed more than one billion transactions in over 200 countries and territories and covers multiple industries, from hospitality, healthcare, automotive, security and financial services. Their headquarters are based in Los Angeles, California.

The Future of DIACC and Acuant

According to the Center for Victim Research, 7-10% of the U.S. population are victims of identity fraud each year. To address the looming threat of identity fraud, Acuant works at the forefront to ensure trust between businesses and their consumers, a mission that aligns with DIACC’s.

“The DIACC strives to grow our membership base to include more of the key players within the identity industry,” says DIACC President Joni Brennan. “The Council and I welcome Acuant and the thought leadership they can bring to furthering our mission and work.”

Acuant joins the DIACC after it already formed the PCTF, the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework, a set of guidelines for all affiliated organizations as they develop digital identification programs. Eventually, Canadian consumers might have a universal, consistent framework to confirm their identities while using government or private sector services. These guidelines also expand into other spheres of technology. Having a set of rules, DIACC hopes, will decrease costs for consumers, businesses and governments, even as it improves those rules and drives up GDP.  

ABOUT THE WRITER

Olivia Baker is a Tech Innovation Fellow at Identity Review from Columbia University, where she writes on tech policy and national digital identity technologies.