Why we are collecting your personal information
Service NSW is collecting your personal information to issue you with a Digital Birth Certificate as a Verifiable Credential (Digital Birth Certificate).
About Verifiable Credentials
Verifiable Credentials are a new type of technology, and Service NSW is currently testing this capability through a series of pilots.
Similar to digital licences, Verifiable Credentials are a digitised version of existing physical credentials. Verifiable Credentials are stored on your device, which means that you are in control of your credential, and when you use it. Your Verifiable Credential does not replace your existing physical credential, however Verifiable Credentials will open up opportunities for additional functionality in the future.
Eligibility
To be eligible for early access to the new Digital Birth Certificate, you must:
- have a MyServiceNSW Account
- be between 16 – 21 years
- have your birth registered with the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages (NSW BDM).
Service NSW plans to broaden access to the Digital Birth Certificate in the future.
Types of personal information we collect
If you choose to be issued with a Digital Birth Certificate, Service NSW will collect the following personal information from you:
- If you are using a NSW Digital ID, Service NSW will verify your identity using your NSW Digital ID.
- If you are not using a NSW Digital ID, details from your Proof of Identity documents will be collected. The information you are required to provide will depend on the documents you choose (for example, Australian driver licence, Medicare card, Australian passport).
- Service NSW will capture biometric information from you by scanning your face to verify your identity using a biometric face verification system. Service NSW will not retain biometric information captured to complete this process. We only retain a record of the outcome of the face verification process.
- Your reference number, provided to you by NSW BDM.
- Details from your Birth Certificate will be collected from NSW BDM to be issued to your Service NSW wallet.
- SNSW will collect information from NSW BDM if there are changes or updates made to your Birth Certificate.
Your Digital Birth Certificate is stored only on your device, and you can remove it from your Service NSW Wallet at any time. Service NSW cannot access personal information stored on your device as a Verifiable Credential, unless you consent to share it with us. However, a log of the type of Verifiable Credential you have included in your digital wallet is retained for auditing purposes.
Whether you are required by law to provide us with this information
Providing us with the requested information is not required by law. However, if you choose not to provide us with the requested information, you will not be able to obtain the Digital Birth Certificate.
How we will use and disclose this information
Service NSW uses personal information it collects about you:
- to verify your identity
- to generate your Digital Birth Certificate and keep it updated
- for internal administrative purposes, including for the purpose of our interactions with you, maintaining your MyServiceNSW Account, ensuring your Digital Birth Certificate remains accurate and up-to-date, and for internal fraud detection and auditing purposes.
Service NSW will disclose personal information as part of issuing your Digital Birth Certificate to:
- the Document Verification Service (DVS), provided by the Attorney-General’s Department, or with Services Australia for Commonwealth concession cards. This is to check the validity of personal information from your identity documents against the records of Australian Government and state and territory government agencies that issue those documents. The DVS is only used if you choose not to use an existing NSW Digital ID to verify your identity.
- Transport for NSW to match your image against your NSW Photo Card or your NSW Driver Licence photo using the biometric face verification system.
- NSW BDM to match the BDM reference number with your verified name and date of birth from your NSW Digital ID or Proof of Identity documents to issue you with a Digital Birth Certificate
Please see the Face Verification and Identity Checks Privacy Collection Notice for more information about how your personal information is handled when verifying your identity. Service NSW will not disclose your personal information to anyone else unless you provide your consent, or we are required or authorised to do so by law.
Using your Digital Birth Certificate
Organisations will soon be able accept Verifiable Credentials stored in your Service NSW digital wallet as a way to securely confirm information about you. This is only done with your consent and could include checking that your credential is valid, or collecting certain information from the credential to provide you with a service.
When presented with this request, you should ensure that the organisation is only asking for the minimum information needed to provide you with the service. For example, you may need to only prove that you are over 18 rather than sharing other information in your credential. If you are concerned about the request you should refuse the consent or ask to see the organisation’s privacy policy.
Any information you consent to disclose to an organisation is shared directly from the Verifiable Credential stored on your device. Service NSW does not collect any personal information from your credential when it is used with another organisation – this includes why you are using it, where it is being used and who you are using it with.
More information
Please visit www.service.nsw.gov.au/privacy for more information about how Service NSW handles your personal information. This includes how you can access and seek correction of the information, how privacy enquiries or complaints can be made, how information is securely stored, and how to contact us. Service NSW is located at 2-24 Rawson Place, Sydney NSW 2000.