Government authentication is the set of controls used to verify and keep verifying a person’s identity when they access public sector services. FARx adds the continuous biometric assurance that traditional sign-in does not offer. For public sector organisations, government service providers, and teams protecting digital services, benefits systems, and critical infrastructure, this means securing the whole session against fraud and identity hijacking without adding a single extra step for legitimate users.
Government services must be universally accessible and rigorously secure - a tension traditional authentication cannot resolve. Governments use multiple methods to balance security and convenience in authentication, and Gov.UK One Login works as the entry-point system for accessing government services, not as full-session assurance once a user is signed in.
The Public Sector Fraud Authority estimates that fraud costs the UK government over £40 billion every year. Much of it happens not because authentication systems were compromised, but because fraudsters fine a walk around through stolen identities, hijacked sessions, AI-generated voices on telephone claim lines, and through individuals operating multiple benefit accounts under different names. The point of sign-in may be strong, with two-factor authentication or multi factor authentication layered on top of a password, but those controls still do not monitor the whole session after login works.
FARx closes that gap. Working across online portals, telephone channels, and staff-facing systems, FARx continuously re-authenticates the person interacting with a service using voice and facial biometrics - throughout the entire session, not just at entry. The moment that identity changes, FARx acts. Genuine citizens and authorised staff experience no difference. Fraudsters, impostors, and unauthorised individuals are detected and stopped in real time.
£40bn+ estimated annual cost of fraud against the UK public sector (Public Sector Fraud Authority)
£7.3bn DWP overpayments due to fraud and error in 2023/24 alone (Department for Work and Pensions)
0 additional steps required from citizens - FARx authenticates passively in the background throughout every session (FARx technical architecture)
The compliance case is equally clear. Gov.UK One Login, the UK Digital Identity Framework, NCSC Cyber Essentials, UK GDPR, and the Government Security Classifications all require strong, ongoing identity assurance - not a one-time check. FARx is deployable via Docker and integrates through a REST API, adding continuous biometric authentication to existing government platforms without replacement or disruption.
1. Citizen-facing digital services and Gov.UK One Login
Gov.UK One Login, which is developed and managed entirely in the UK and works with trusted data sources, is an authentication platform for login accounts used to access government services and other public sector services. It handles the front-end authentication process and identity proofing needed to create and use a verified identity online across services. FARx adds persistent assurance after sign-in, continuously verifying that the same individual’s identity remains present during high-risk actions. This fills the assurance gap that One Login, as a login mechanism, was not designed to protect high-impact actions like changing benefit payment details throughout the session.
Users may prove an individual's identity with photo ID such as a driving licence or passport by scanning or uploading official documents. Users may also verify their identity by answering security questions based on DWP information and personal details. Gov.UK One Login offers three identity verification methods, including bank account-based checks via open banking. That verified identity can support identity online across services, and mobile access may use the GOV.UK One Login app or login app. The app replaced the GOV.UK ID check app and can hold a digital version of credentials such as a digital driving licence, allowing users to sign in securely with less information shared.
2. Benefits administration and fraud prevention
Detects identity fraud, multiple-account abuse, and AI-generated voices on telephone claim lines in real time, creating a meaningful barrier to organised benefit fraud without adding friction for genuine claimants. Multi factor authentication is especially important for sensitive claims access, but it does not stop post-login impersonation or multiple-account abuse. Users may need flexible two-factor options such as an authenticator app to recover access, but password and account recovery controls still do not verify that the same claimant remains present throughout the session.
3. HMRC and tax authority interactions
Ensures the verified taxpayer or authorised agent is present throughout the entire HMRC session, preventing fraudulent repayment claims, PAYE manipulation, and session hijacking across self-assessment and Making Tax Digital platforms.
4. Local government services and council portals
Prevents housing benefit payment diversion and protects sensitive social care case files, with REST API integration that adds biometric verification to existing portals without platform replacement. Local authorities also deliver public services through digital channels and need strong authentication process controls beyond the first login.
5. Border Force, immigration, and identity verification
Continuous biometric verification throughout remote asylum and visa interviews detects person substitution mid-session, with synthetic voice detection ensuring the biometric record reflects the genuine applicant. Here, identity proofing with official documents such as a passport or driving licence is the front-end check before FARx protects the live interaction.
6. NHS and public health services
Protects patient records and prescription systems from unattended terminal and shared workstation risks in busy clinical environments, directly supporting NHS DSPT compliance and clinical attribution integrity. Secure digital identity can also support access to records, prescriptions, and book appointments, while FARx protects high-risk sessions in practice.
7. Emergency services and critical national infrastructure
Continuous biometric assurance for staff on law enforcement, CNI control, and intelligence systems, with a session-level audit trail meeting Law Enforcement Processing statutory obligations and HMICFRS inspection requirements. These environments also expect 24/7 monitoring and incident response, and FARx aligns with this operational security model.
Government digital service programmes have evolved from early digital identity experiments in the 1990s, through the Verify programme, to Gov.UK One Login, with the Cabinet Office and Government Digital Service shaping the system and guidance over time. Authentication guidance continues to evolve with security experts, including collaboration with the National Cyber Security Centre and completion of a Cyber Assessment Framework exercise in 2024.
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