Written answers

Thursday, 16 November 2017

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Public Services Card Data

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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242. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 1218 of 7 November 2017, the way in which a person can register and verify a MyGov account if they do not have a phone number or mobile phone device and or a tablet device; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48449/17]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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A MyGovID account is a secure online account for accessing public services. The process for registering and using a verified MyGovID account proves in the online environment that the person has had their identity verified to the SAFE 2 standard. As part of the application of the SAFE 2 standard in the online environment, my Department seeks to ensure that a person’s MyGovID account is not used by another person. This is vital to ensure that a personal data is only made available to the correct person and that data protection requirements are satisfied. This is done by employing two-factor authentication each time the person uses the account. Two-factor authentication is an industry standard mechanism for authenticating users of high-value online services. This means that, in addition to requesting a username and password (things they know), a one-time verification code is sent to the person’s verified mobile phone (something they have) which they must also provide when logging in. As they are constantly changed, dynamically generated verification codes like this are safer to use than fixed (static) log-in information. In addition, a limit on the number of incorrect entries is applied to reduce the risk of attacks by unauthorised persons. The advantage of using a mobile phone as the second factor is that there is no need for an additional, dedicated token, as users tend to carry their mobile devices with them.

Accordingly, at present, if a person does not have access to a mobile phone, then they cannot obtain a verified MyGovID account, and may not avail of online access to high-value public services.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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