"We want to enable people to be able to prove their identity online - if they choose to - without the need for any national, central scheme. This way the citizen remains in charge, not the state," a Cabinet Office spokesperson was quoted as saying.

What that does, of course, is shift the security burden to those sites, which raises obvious security concerns. What if users don't secure those logins well? Or use one login for a number of sites which are then undermined by a data breach?

One answer is introducing two-factor authentication although this doesn't answer the issue of fake identities set up on third-party sites by criminals. The obvious answer to this is that providers will have to meet a stringent test. Current password systems used to access government services are not inherently secure.

The plans have had a mixed reception.

"Governments around the world are rightly looking to social networks as one piece of the identity puzzle," said Ping Identity director, Andi Hindle.