Deloitte and Attest Inc. announced a new collaboration today to assist government clients with digital identity solutions to help solve for a host of government challenges.

“In the blockchain pilots we’ve run with our government clients, digital identity can be a thorny issue,” said Wendy Henry, managing director, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and Deloitte’s government and public services blockchain leader. “While many companies are looking at using a personal wallet in which the individual has control of their digital identity credential, government must serve the whole of citizens, including those who may not be able to accept the control of their identity credential in a digital form.

“Working with Attest, we will be able to help government clients offer solutions using digital identities that better accommodate the needs government has across that wide expanse of abilities.”

“We are excited to work with Deloitte to bring blockchain-enabled technologies such as decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials to government,” said Cab Morris, co-founder, and chief executive officer of Attest. “Identity is foundational to nearly every government service and is the basis for trust and legitimacy in the public sector.

“Combining government’s robust identity verification infrastructure with a platform engineered for security, privacy and scale can also unlock tremendous value for both citizens and businesses outside of government. A government-issued digital identity has the potential to reduce costs and risk for businesses in all industries, while also providing citizens with greater security, privacy and control over personal data.”

Attest’s user-centric digital identity platform consists of two products, Attest Wallet and Attest Enterprise. Attest Wallet is a consumer application that provides users unparalleled agency, privacy and security when sharing verified personal data with governments and businesses. Attest Enterprise provides governments and businesses a complete set of powerful authentication, authorization and consent management tools that can be integrated into any system with two simple APIs.

Deloitte’s Center for Government Insights recently published an in-depth look at blockchain uses in government, “Assessing Blockchain Applications for the Public Sector,” which looks at six key factors to consider in assessing the readiness of a government application for blockchain.

“Blockchain requires a digital credential and in government, requiring a digital credential gets complicated pretty quickly,” said Marc Mancher, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and government and public services practice’s automation service business leader. “Attest brings a set of solutions to help address this issue of digital credentials, making the use of solutions that require that digital identity more appealing technology for government clients.”