{"id":266,"date":"2014-04-07T10:29:39","date_gmt":"2014-04-07T10:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.scotland.gov.uk\/digital\/?p=266"},"modified":"2016-08-23T15:37:10","modified_gmt":"2016-08-23T15:37:10","slug":"myaccount-signing-in-to-on-line-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/2014\/04\/07\/myaccount-signing-in-to-on-line-services\/","title":{"rendered":"myaccount – signing in to online services"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is myaccount?<\/strong><\/p>\n

myaccount will give people across Scotland a secure and easy way to access public services online. myaccount is designed for people who wish to use services – such as pay council tax bills or request parking permits –\u00a0 from Scottish public sector organisations online, rather than go into a local office or send a letter through the post.<\/p>\n

We know that not everyone will want or be able to access services online themselves and alternative means will continue to be available (e.g. visiting local offices in person or contacting them through the post).\u00a0\u00a0 But for the increasing numbers of people who want to access services and undertake transactions online at a time that suits them myaccount will provide a secure and convenient means to do so.<\/p>\n

There will be many tasks you can do online without needing to sign-in. However, when you do need to sign in, using myaccount will give you one username and password for secure and trusted access to all public services across Scotland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here we set out how myaccount will work and why it is secure.\u00a0 If you wish to ask questions or comment on the approach you can do so below.<\/p>\n

Where can I use myaccount?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some public services have already chosen to use myaccount<\/strong> and you will see this on their websites from Spring 2014.\u00a0 Currently local authorities and the NHS are able to use the myaccount service,\u00a0\u00a0 but organisations are at different stages of readiness and not all will offer services online \u2013 and use myaccount -immediately.<\/p>\n

We know that there is demand to access services of other organisations such as housing associations online and we will expand the number of services you can access with myaccount in the near future.<\/p>\n

Why set up myaccount?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We understand that when you undertake a transaction online you want to be confident that it is secure, that your identity is protected and that someone else cannot do it pretending to be you.<\/p>\n

The Scottish Government has agreed to set up myaccount with Scotland\u2019s wider public sector so you know that your transactions are secure with all public service providers. By using myaccount you will not be asked to repeatedly provide the same information every time you access a service.<\/p>\n

Two steps to getting started on myaccount<\/strong><\/p>\n

To access services on-line using myaccount you will follow two simple steps: \uf0d6<\/p>\n

Step 1:<\/strong> Register via mygovscot<\/strong> to create a myaccount<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Once you have created the account you will be given a unique username and a password. \uf0d6<\/p>\n

Step 2:<\/strong> Use this username and password to sign-in to many of your local services online.<\/p>\n

Once you have received your username and password you can safely sign-in to use an on-line public service.\u00a0 This sign-in<\/strong> – where you give your user name combined with your password – is a key part of protecting your identity.\u00a0\u00a0 It will provide you with the assurance and confidence that your order or payment is attributed to you and public organisations with the confidence that they know who is accessing their service.\u00a0 In other words this system provides secure and trusted access to online public services.<\/p>\n

Not all services will require a myaccount<\/strong> to access them e.g. if you simply want to register to receive email alerts about events in your region you will not need to sign-in. But if you want to request a special waste uplift, pay a bill or receive a delivery then it is important that both you and the public service organisation can be confident that the transaction is actioned for the correct person.<\/p>\n

How will this work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you visit a website of a public body \u2013 such as your local council – you will be asked to sign in.<\/p>\n

If you already have a myaccount you will be taken to the mygovscot site where you will supply your sign-in details.\u00a0 Having done so you will be automatically and securely returned to the Council site to use the service you want.<\/p>\n

If it is your first time signing in for online public services you will be invited to create a myaccount before you can sign-in.\u00a0 The Council or public organisations website will direct you to the mygovscot website (signin.mygovscot.org) where you can create your myaccount.\u00a0 mygovscot is being developed as a one stop shop where citizens, businesses and visitors in Scotland will be able to go to access online public services.\u00a0 The mygovscot webpage www.mygovscot.org<\/a> will be live from 9 April and the website as a whole will develop over the rest of the year.<\/p>\n

Trusted, secure access:<\/strong> Signing in with your unique myaccount username and password allows public sector organisations to verify that you are who you say you are.\u00a0 It also gives you the confidence that nobody else but you can access your account.<\/p>\n

What information will I provide and how is it checked?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you wish to create a myaccount you\u2019ll be asked to provide some basic information to verify your identity and your address.<\/p>\n

You will need to provide your full name; date of birth; gender; postal address and an e-mail address.<\/p>\n

To verify your identity and ensure your online transactions are secure myaccount will check your name, date of birth and gender against publically available information held by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) \u2013 the public body that records births, deaths and marriages.<\/p>\n

In the unlikely event your information cannot be matched you may also be asked for your place of birth or mother\u2019s maiden name.\u00a0 This would also be checked against the information held by National Records of Scotland and would not be shared any further.<\/p>\n

When a myaccount is created a unique reference number, also provided by NRS, is attached to it.\u00a0 The address you have given will also be used to ensure the account is set up only for you.\u00a0 It will be matched against an existing but separate register of property addresses, compiled by local authorities.\u00a0 Each address has its own Unique Property Reference Number.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, these steps ensure your account belongs to you and only you.\u00a0 It makes it easy for public services to ensure no duplicate records or fraudulent applications are created.<\/p>\n

Increasing your \u2018assurance level\u2019:<\/strong> Once you create your myaccount, you\u2019ll be able to access certain services right away. For some services which require a higher level of assurance or more information, you\u2019ll need to provide some further information about\u00a0 who you are. You may be asked to provide a known fact, such as a council tax number or in a very few cases you may need to provide photographic evidence.\u00a0 Once you provide this additional information, you\u2019ll be able to access all services that require a higher level of assurance; so you only have to do this once.<\/p>\n

Is this an approach that is tried and tested?<\/strong><\/p>\n

myaccount builds on the approach taken when individuals apply for a card to allow concessionary travel.\u00a0 Up until now, application for a National Entitlement Card has been on a paper form.\u00a0 The information on the form is checked and held by the Improvement service who then arrange for issue of a card.\u00a0 (In future you will be able to apply for a Card on-line.)<\/p>\n

By building on an existing service we know that we have a system that works and that will be cost-effective.<\/p>\n

What happens if my details change?\u00a0 How is my information protected?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The mygovscot myaccount<\/strong> keeps you in control of your personal information.\u00a0 You will be able to check and update your details on-line – for example if you change your address.<\/p>\n

When you set up your myaccount you will have the option of allowing<\/strong> the core information you provide\u00a0 – name, date of birth, gender and address \u2013 to be shared with the public service providers who use myaccount.\u00a0 This means that any updates you make, such as a change of address, can then be passed on securely to the public service providers you use by attaching your update to the unique reference number that goes with your account.\u00a0 This means you will not have to update organisations separately.<\/p>\n

If you choose not to give consent, service providers will usually need to ask you for this information separately so that they have the information they need to give you the right service.<\/p>\n

This approach to information sharing complies with the Data Protection Act and the Scottish Government Identity Management and Privacy Principles.<\/p>\n

Who is providing this service?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Scottish Government considers that the people of Scotland will prefer a public sector, not-for-profit body to be responsible for \u201cmyaccount\u201d.\u00a0 This contrasts with the UK Government\u2019s approach of individuals setting up an account with a private sector body.<\/p>\n

The myaccount service<\/strong> was developed and is operated by the Improvement Service who, like most public bodies contract with a specialist company for ICT support.\u00a0 The Improvement Service is a not-for-profit publicly funded organisation that works to improve the efficiency, quality and accountability of local public services.\u00a0 It was originally established to support local government but now supports the public sector more widely.\u00a0 myaccount<\/strong> is funded by Scottish Government.<\/p>\n

The Scottish Government will not have access to the information that individuals provide except where a unit of Scottish Government is a service provider, for example, the Agriculture Directorate that deals with applications from farmers for payments.<\/p>\n

What range of services will I be able to access with myaccount?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Legislation allows National Records of Scotland (NRS) to share its data with local government organisations and the health service.\u00a0 Sharing this information is key to ensuring that Scottish residents can access their public services online in a safe and secure manner.<\/p>\n

We know many people also want to use services from housing associations and other government bodies online.\u00a0 To ensure that you can have the same standard of secure access to these services through myaccount the Scottish Government will bring forward legislation later this year.\u00a0\u00a0 Further information will be available on this later in the year.<\/p>\n

Storing your details securely<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Improvement Service stores your details in a secure manner within Scottish, world class facilities so that there is no improper access or improper sharing.\u00a0 They have carried out a Privacy Impact Assessment so as to ensure their systems meet this objective.\u00a0 This Assessment follows guidance issued by the Information Commissioner.<\/p>\n

The Improvement Service will only hold those personal details set out above.\u00a0 The Improvement Service does not and will not hold any information about the services you access or the transactions you undertake.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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