In a decision that has surprised many, Fujitsu, the company behind the troubled Post Office Horizon software, is on track to secure a government contract in the UK to implement a national digital identification scheme. This system, which will be used in pubs and supermarkets to verify the age of customers, marks a new chapter for the Japanese company, despite their previous promise not to seek new government business due to the Horizon scandal.
The contract, expected to be awarded to Fujitsu, involves a system that would scan digital IDs to verify the age of smartphone owners, eliminating the need for a driver’s license or passport. The UK government is consulting on legal changes that would allow the use of digital ID cards stored on a smartphone for purchasing alcohol at stores, pubs, and self-checkout kiosks.
While multiple companies may issue the IDs, it is anticipated that a single company will provide the software to verify them through a smartphone app or barcode scanner. The contract, managed by the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS), an organization backed by the Home Office, is reportedly worth less than £1 million, but offering the technology could be advantageous for Fujitsu in selling hardware such as supermarket cash registers, a significant business for the company.
This contract comes at a critical time, given the scandal of Fujitsu’s Horizon system, marked as one of the most serious judicial errors in UK legal history. The faulty IT system led to the wrongful conviction of over 700 subpostmasters for crimes such as theft, fraud, and false accounting from 1999 to 2015. Despite Fujitsu’s promises not to seek public sector contracts for the next two years, the bidding process for the digital ID project began before the company made such a commitment.
The allocation of the contract to Fujitsu has raised concerns among competing companies and regulatory bodies, given the company’s recent history with government contracts. The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA), including Fujitsu among its members, has urged PASS to consider the findings of the public inquiry into the Post Office scandal when making their decision.
This move towards digital IDs in the UK reflects the growing trend towards the digitization of government services and the importance of security and reliability in the implementation of sensitive technologies. As the country moves towards a more integrated national digital infrastructure, the selection of Fujitsu as the provider of the digital ID system raises questions about accountability and transparency in the awarding of critical government contracts.