Ottawa, ON – The Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI) is pleased to announce the publication of the revised CAN/DGSI 103-1, Digital Trust and Identity – Part 1: Fundamentals, a National Standard of Canada (NSC).

This revised standard establishes foundational principles and terminology for digital trust and identity systems, providing a common framework to guide organizations in the design, implementation, and governance of trusted digital identity ecosystems. As digital services continue to expand across sectors, the ability to establish trusted identities online is essential for enabling secure interactions, protecting personal information, and strengthening confidence in digital transactions.

CAN/DGSI 103-1 outlines the core concepts that underpin digital trust and identity management, including identity lifecycle management, authentication, assurance levels, governance structures, and accountability mechanisms. By clarifying these fundamentals, the standard supports interoperability across digital identity solutions and promotes consistent approaches among public and private sector organizations.

This revised edition reflects several updates intended to improve clarity, alignment, and governance expectations for digital identity systems. Key updates include:

• Terminology harmonization: Key terms and definitions have been aligned with CAN/DGSI 103-0, Digital Trust and Identity – Part 0: Techniques – Code of Practice, to support consistency across the Digital Trust and Identity standards series.
• Expanded explanatory guidance: Additional informative notes have been introduced to clarify important conceptual distinctions within digital identity frameworks, including the differentiation between assigned identifiers and identity attributes, as well as the distinction between identity assurance and credential assurance.
• Strengthened communication obligations: The standard now further clarifies that organizations operating digital identity systems must communicate and notify relevant stakeholders, clients, and credential holders when changes occur to digital identity systems or related services.

As Part 1 of the Digital Trust and Identity series, the standard provides the conceptual and governance foundations that inform additional standards addressing specific implementation and operational aspects of digital identity systems.

The revised version of the standard can be accessed via CAN/DGSI 103-1: Digital Trust & Identity – Part 1: Fundamentals.

About the Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI)
The Digital Governance Standards Institute develops digital technology governance standards fit for global use. The Institute works with experts, as well as national and global partners and the public to develop national standards that reduce risk to Canadians and Canadian organizations adopting and using innovative digital technologies in today’s digital economy. The Institute is an independent division of the Digital Governance Council. To learn more about the organization and its initiatives, visit www.dgc-cgn.org or contact info@dgc-cgn.org.