Identity Information bill introduced to Parliament

A new bill to help combat identity fraud has been introduced to Parliament today in the name of Internal Affairs Minister Nathan Guy.

“The Identity Information Confirmation Bill extends the use of the Data Validation Service to public and private sector agencies on a strictly 'need to know' basis," says Mr Guy.

“This allows agencies to check whether the identity information presented by a customer is consistent with that held by the Department of Internal Affairs through the citizenship registers, the passports database, and the various registers of the Births, Deaths, and Marriages registry office.

“This service will help ensure compliance with the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009, which requires banks and other financial institutions to undertake more comprehensive ‘know your customer' checks.

“This will be an important tool in preventing identity fraud and reducing compliance costs.

“At the same time we are mindful of privacy concerns. Any agency using this tool must have the consent of customers – it is up to individuals whether or not to give permission. The tool only confirms whether the information provided by customers is accurate and does not give out any additional information about the person.

"The Data Validation Service will be available only to organisations which meet strict security, privacy and integrity criteria. The Government has also agreed that the Privacy Commissioner will monitor this service.”

ENDS

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