In the wake of the passing of a Digital ID bill in March, Australian Minister for Finance and the Public Service Katy Gallagher has shared that the government-issued digital ID framework will receive $288.1 million in additional funding over a four-year period.Businesses will soon be invited to trial the Gocernment Digital ID system, with the recently passed Bill including a two-year phase-in period for businesses. X15Ventures, meanwhile, has beaten the public authorities to the punch in a partnership with digital design studio Supermassive to launch its own Digital ID app Truyu, using technology from identity outfit GBG.Already available on the App Store and Google Play, Truyo’s digital protection tool issues alerts when a user’s identity is deemed at risk or is being misused online at major merchants. As well as a direct-to-consumer play, Truyu will also be marketed to merchants as a service they can provide to their customers.Wholly-owned by CommBank, Truyu will be available to all consumers regardless of who they bank with.The initiative comes in the wake of growing identity theft in Australia, with nearly 200,000 victims reported in the last financial year - a 25% year-on-year increase.Toby Norton-Smith, managing director, x15ventures, comments: “We believe there’s an advantage to be gained by the public and private sectors working in collaboration to make things safer for all Australians, particularly given the pace at which the private sector can move, test, and learn.” “Truyu is a great vehicle - already in the hands of consumers - to test what propositions drive most engagement and value for consumers, and how we can also reduce the cost for merchants to manage and respond to identity fraud.”"As we work collectively on solutions to tackle identity misuse, I’m confident what we learn through our pilot will prove valuable to Government.”