الملخص الإنجليزي
The study aimed to identify the motives for implementing digital identity in
public and private sector institutions in the Sultanate of Oman. It also explored the
procedures and mechanisms of digital identity verification, in addition to the
challenges facing its implementation in Omani institutions. The study relied on a
mixed method, using semi-structured interviews and a check list to collect data.
The study community is represented by government and private institutions
implementing digital identity in their work. The sample of the study included 15
institutions, of which 11 were from the government sector, and 4 were from the
private sector. The number of interviews was 21 interviews and 5 check list.
The study came up with a series of results, most notably the efforts of
government and private institutions in the Sultanate of Oman to implement digital
identity for many reasons, which varied from one institution to another as a result
of the different services provided and the objectives that seek to develop them
according to the strategies and executive plans of the institutions. However, despite
this difference, there is agreement on a set of motives represented by the following:
implementing the digital identity within the requirements of digital transformation
to achieve Oman Vision 2040, developing electronic services and ensuring the
quality of their delivery, reducing the proportion of fraud and impersonation,
ensuring high quality and accuracy of data, enhancing the process of strategic
planning and decision-making, and protecting the privacy of individuals.
The study revealed the procedures of identity implementation in public and
private sector organizations in Oman. These organizations use two methods, either
to create a digital identity by entering data manually, or by importing data in two
ways through a civil status card or through individual data from other institutions
based on the goals of implementing the digital identity. The total number of
mechanisms declared by the study sample in public and private sector institutions
reached 10 different methods, while the number of mechanisms for which future
have been developed for their implementations was 2 mechanisms. The mechanism
of username and password came at the forefront by 15 institutions (100%),
followed by the electronic certification mechanism by 12 institutions out of 15
institutions in the government and private sectors making (80%). The
implementation of electronic signatures and phone numbers was equal to 10
institutions making (18.9). The single-use mechanism ranked fifth in usage (53.3)
by 8 organizations. However, the least used techniques were the two-factor
authentication, biometric measurement by making (20% to 26.7%) respectively.
The study found that organizations are undergoing a range of regular legislation
and technical measures to protect digital identity.
The study results also revealed a set of challenges facing institutions in the
public and private sectors in the Sultanate of Oman in adopting and implementing
the digital identity including, the lack of awareness among individuals of the
importance of implementing digital identity, privacy concerns of users, weak
technical skills of employees in institutions, the weakness of the technical
infrastructure in the management of digital identity, the absence of user culture with
the mechanisms of activating digital identity, and the lack of financial allocations
in relation to the various aspects of the digital identity implementation.
The study concluded with a number of recommendations. The most
important of which is the development of a strategic plan for a unified digital
identity in all institutions of the Sultanate of Oman in both, public and private
sectors which can be done through cooperation with experts and technical
consultants in the Directorate of Digital Identity, monitored by the Royal Oman
Police and the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information
Technology. The study also recommended the need to hire experts in the analysis
of the data resulting from the implementation of digital identity and exploration
through the extraction of predictive patterns using the software implemented in
public and private sector institutions to serve the institution and the state as a whole
in analyzing and planning.
