Actually, it seems that this did go into production - you can now verify identity using the service. For example, you can identify yourself for Govt. of Canada services (immigration, taxes) by logging into to your banking platform that then vouches for your identity using a service called SecureKeyConcierge / Verified.Me - note that ALL of Canada's major and quite a few minor banks are signed up to the service.

See this page:

https://services.securekeyconcierge.com/cbs/saml/login?l=1&l...

The way the service works by getting permission from you, the user, to share some part of your identity with the destination and you can chose what you share. You could pick for example just to share name and not DoB.

The one reason I hate this otherwise superbly designed service and refused to use it is that is has a dark pattern where it creates a "SecureKey / Verified.Me Concierge Account" for "you" when you use it and starts proxying/pre-emptying the bank-login-as-verification process.

WHICH IS STUPID AND SCAMMY IF YOU ARE READING THIS VERIFIED.ME, THIS IS DARK PATTERN BEHAVIOR AND IT IS NOT RIGHT OR FAIR

/start rant

From my perspective, the whole point is - inhale - "I sorta trust my bank because I have to so I will log on to them so that they can vouch for me but I definitely don't trust you so why are you being a dick and making me make an account with your service that I don't trust and will never trust" - exhale

Just let the bank vouch for me each time, this is what I expect a reasonable and non-scammy service provider to do. Don't wait till you have my info then tell me, hey, I will make an verified.met / secureconcierge account for you so that <insert your preferred monetization rationale here> before you do what you promised to do.

I get the idea that they want to consolidate a profile so that you can pick what to share without entering it each time but they way it is done right now feels really slimy.

/end rant