Member

I turn to Amendment 9. The rapid growth of digital services and the potential for misuse emphasise the need for a review of a digital identity offence, as proposed in this amendment. As I pointed out to both this Government and the last one, there is currently no specific crime of digital identity theft, despite various laws that address related offences such as fraud, using a false identity and unauthorised computer access. This gap in legislation leaves the public vulnerable to the harms of digital identity theft. Creating a new specific offence of digital identity theft would better protect those who use digital identity online, ensuring that they had the same protection as they do in the physical world. Existing laws do not adequately cover the nuances of digital identity theft, and a clear criminal offence would serve as a deterrent to malicious actors. As I argued in Committee, the Government should follow the recommendations of the committee chaired by the noble Baroness, Lady Morgan, which produced the 2022 report Fighting Fraud: Breaking the Chain, which concluded that a specific criminal offence for identity theft was necessary, or that identity theft should be considered a serious aggravating factor in cases of fraud.