The true impact of technology

All of us can think of a time when a bank, phone company, retailer, or government agency has asked us to provide personal information that ‘proves’ our identity.? Some organisations go further and request scanned copies of our passport, driving licence, or bank statement, attempting to replicate physical world processes online, often through third parties.?

None of us would hand our passport, driving licence, or other personal information to a stranger in the street who told us they needed to check our details on behalf of another organisation; so why are we willing to do it online?

Do we convince ourselves that online transactions are secure because we believe someone, somewhere is policing the web, or that fraud happens to other people?? We all lead busy lives, and maybe the temptation of faster online processes trick us into believing they must be safe.

Unfortunately, these perceptions are often wrong.? According to the National Crime Agency, fraud is the most experienced crime in the UK, accounting for 40% of all crime in England and Wales, costing billions of pounds, and disrupting millions of lives.

As I reflect on my first week as Chief Commercial Officer at Origin Secured, it is the societal impact of our company’s vision that has struck me the most.? Security and trust in online interactions between people and organisations must be improved, and Origin’s approach is different to traditional solutions.??

While centralised standards and regulations are needed, we do not believe that centralisation of data through government, banks, or other agencies is the answer; it simply consolidates risk and creates a single point of failure.? Origin Secured’s mission is to decentralise the verification of information, while avoiding the need to access or store the underlying data, which is always owned and controlled by the participating entity (e.g. a person or organisation).

Origin Secured has developed a unique solution that enables entities to share relevant assertions (statements specific to an entity) through their Origin Handle, to prove their identity or confirm compliance with a particular requirement.? All assertions are endorsed by multiple third parties, avoiding the need to share underlying data, an approach that increases trust and improves data security across the ecosystem.

There are so many use cases for Origin Secured’s technology: from onboarding a workforce, mitigating supply chain risks, increasing the security of financial transactions, or making the DBS checking process more efficient for the education sector.??

As my time with Origin Secured evolves, I look forward to hearing about how our technology could solve other challenges people face in their personal and professional lives, when having to prove their identity or provide personal information.? I also know that Origin Secured will always remain focused on the benefit we deliver to fellow citizens, increasing trust across web-based interactions, reducing fraud, and continuing to innovate using the latest technology.?

Don't Assume Trust. Demand An Origin.