Parliament Accepts Maldives 2.0 and Digital Identity Bills for Committee Review

Parliament has accepted the government’s proposed Maldives 2.0 Digital Transformation Bill and Digital Identity Bill, advancing both pieces of legislation to the committee stage following unanimous approval by members present.

The government submitted the two bills to the parliament on 15 June. After debate in the chamber, members voted unanimously to accept the legislation, which has now been referred to the Information and Communication Technology Committee for further review.

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Under the Maldives 2.0 Digital Transformation Bill, a new government institution, the Maldives Digital Service, will be established to coordinate and manage the country’s digital transformation and digital governance system.

The proposed law seeks to establish an interoperable digital ecosystem by creating trusted government registries, enabling secure data sharing between state institutions and supporting the authentication of data exchanged across information systems.

The bill also assigns the Maldives Digital Service responsibility for providing state information and communications technology services, as well as managing government computer networks and digital infrastructure.

If enacted, the legislation will establish the Maldives 2.0 digital transformation programme, which aims to strengthen digital governance through a digital-first approach. The programme is intended to modernise public services and government administration while creating a comprehensive digital system for state institutions and the public.

The Digital Identity Bill sets out the legal framework for designing and operating a secure digital identity system used to verify individuals accessing online services provided by government agencies, businesses and other organisations.

The bill also requires the establishment of a Digital Identity Technical Advisory Committee to oversee the development and operation of the system. It outlines the responsibilities of digital identity providers, participating entities and identity data providers, while specifying the circumstances in which digital identities and personal information may not be used.

Following their acceptance by Parliament, both bills have been referred to the Information and Communication Technology Committee for detailed evaluation before returning to the chamber for further consideration.