The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) has granted accreditation to Kantara Initiative; making it the first UKAS-accredited conformity assessment body (CAB) certifying under the UK government’s Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework.
A robust quality framework to underpin the digital economy
UKAS’s decision to award accreditation to Kantara Initiative is a major milestone in the development of the UK’s digital verification services (DVS) ecosystem. It provides a robust, internationally-recognised basis for building trust in those services.
Commenting on the accreditation decision, the Minister for Digital Government and Data, the Rt Hon Ian Murray MP, said:
“We are determined to build public trust in the technologies that are making our daily lives easier.
“Thanks to Kantara’s accreditation, people can be reassured that digital IDs offered by private companies to help them prove their identity are safe, secure, and sustainable - in turn helping an industry which is already worth £2 billion.”
How accreditation is awarded
UKAS is the national accreditation body for the United Kingdom. Appointed by government, it independently assesses the technical competence and impartiality of organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection calibration, validation and verification services.
UKAS and DSIT have worked together for several years as part of a pilot programme for digital verification services certification. Kantara Initiative is one of two CABs currently participating in the pilot process, alongside BSI Assurance UK which is working towards accreditation.
The purpose of the pilot has been to develop a robust set of rules for evaluating digital verification services, and to independently assess whether bodies providing conformity assessment are able to implement those rules in line with international standards.
To obtain accreditation, CABs go through a rigorous, three-stage assessment, led by independent assessors with deep technical expertise.
The decision to start granting accreditation reflects that:
- the UK digital identity and attributes trust framework certification scheme has been developed in a manner consistent with relevant international standards, and
- Kantara Initiative has demonstrated that it can competently and consistently assess services in accordance with the scheme’s requirements
Commenting on its grant of accreditation, Andrew Fletcher, Executive Director at UKAS, said:
“UKAS’s work is essential to maintaining public trust and confidence in products and services across the economy. Our independent accreditation processes ensure that certification, testing, inspection, and calibration activities are conducted to the highest standards in the UK.
“Congratulations to Kantara Initiative on achieving accredited status. We look forward to working with other conformity assessment bodies seeking accreditation against this scheme.”
What this means in practice
Now that CABs have started to be accredited, the government can proceed with commencing the DVS measures in the Data (Use and Access) Act.
All of Kantara’s clients that are presently listed on the non-statutory register of digital identity and attribute services will now be able to apply to join the statutory register when it is published upon commencement. We have already published details of how to get onto the statutory register on GOV.UK.
With the first CAB now accredited, the pilot phase led jointly by DSIT and UKAS will conclude in due course as focus shifts to scheme maintenance and further development.
We are looking forward to the next stage, after 4 years of developing a certification scheme that supports delivery of digital verification services that are compliant with the UK DIATF and can command trust of individuals and businesses across the UK.
2 comments
Comment by Richard O posted on
Good news.
When do you expect to publish the 'statutory' DVS register? Can you outline what steps are required under the DUA Act 2025? Thanks.
Comment by John Peart posted on
Thank you for your question Richard.
The statutory register will become available on the day the Data (Use and Access) Act is commenced. The processes we have put in place for providers means there should be a seamless switch over from one to the other. All affected providers on the non-statutory register have now been contacted to apply to move onto the statutory register, in advance of commencement.
We have published the statutory "determination" for how to apply on GOV.UK, which provides more details.