Canada
The Digital Identity Laboratory of Canada (IDLab) has announced the reception of several grants from the public and private sectors.
The fresh funds include investments from Accenture, Deloitte, Interac Corp, and KPMG as well as a C$1.5 million (£850,000) non-repayable contribution from Canada Economic Development for the Regions of Quebec. The private-sector funding partners will also support IDLab’s mission with thought leadership, according to the announcement.
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages said the Canadian Government will aid IDLab’s efforts in interoperability advancement, knowledge, jobs, and infrastructure.
“Through our support for the Digital Identity Laboratory of Canada we are helping businesses to protect themselves against cyber threats and to better position themselves in relation to global competition,” she explained.
The IDLab is an independent non-profit entity fostering the adoption of digital trust solutions by breaking down technology barriers to digital ID adoption.
Also Canada
Concerns have been raised about a project from IBM Canada to allow Canadians to apply for a passport using their mobile devices and personal computers.
Privacy advocates have highlighted the risks posed by potentially insufficient data safeguard procedures. According to CBC, the greatest of these risks is where user information would be stored, as storing it on foreign servers could constitute an easy target for malicious actors This could in turn translate to criminal activity related to human trafficking, as Canadian passports represent an alluring target for criminals.
“That’s very attractive for organized crime groups who specialize in human trafficking,” Benoît Dupont, a criminology professor at l’Université de Montréal and Canada Research Chair in cybersecurity, told CBC. “They will attempt to exploit the program very quickly, very intensely to obtain the most fraudulent passports they can in the least amount of time.”
The critique was echoed by The Professional Institute of the Public Services (PIPSC), who said the tender for the project should never have gone out to the private sector but instead developed in-house by public servants.
Brunei
Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Dato Seri Setia Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof, has announced three flagship projects for immediate implementation under the country’s Digital Economy Masterplan 2025. They are Digital Identity or Digital ID; Digital Payment Hub – to support interoperable mobile payments; and National Information Hub – to support data sharing among government agencies in a more secured manner.
“While all three are critical to enabling the Smart Nation, the Digital ID is truly at the core of delivering our vision, Insya Allah. Your identity is the key that will enable each and every one of us to access all the services that we are entitled to,” he said.
“When you interact with the government, for example, you need to prove who you are. The same goes for the opening of a bank account or signing up for a mobile subscription. Your identity is key. To implement this solution, we are looking at the feasibility of a blockchain-based solution that will increase the resilience of our systems, as well as creating new opportunities for innovation,” added the minister.
Belgium
Biometric Update reports that Digital ID provider Zetes is featuring the roll out of its biometric PeopleID in all 581 Belgian municipalities with a new video promoting the project, following a pilot in 25 municipalities.
The nationwide initiative of Belgium’s adoption of digital identity follows the government’s 2019 approval and a development process launched by Zetes in early 2020.
In the video the company depicts the application process, as well as its secure manufacturing site, and describes its range of in-house digital ID credential-delivery services.
It says the new eID with embedded fingerprint biometrics gives Belgian citizens access to a safe digital identity through counterfeit-proof design elements and touch-free RFID chips. The eIDAS compliant eID can be used for eAuthentication and eSignatures for digital services from eGovernment to travel and replaces a social security card.
In addition to this, Zetes also supplies the KidsID, designed for minors under the age of 12. The KidsID includes contact data to help quickly determine children’s whereabouts and alert authorities if they are missing.
Non-EU foreigners are also issued the eID, after presenting an electronic residency permit which they have to present along with a passport image to Belgian authorities, according to Zetes.
Nigeria
The government of the State of Kaduna in Nigeria has announced that as from May 1, 2021, it will be compulsory for all residents to show either their state Residents Card or National Identification Number (NIN) in order to have access to certain public services at Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the State. While this opens up the possibility of biometric authentication for services, many in the State have not yet registered for digital ID.
The move was announced by the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Residents Registration Agency (KADSRRA), Dr. Zayyad Tsiga, Vanguard reports.
The official said although Kaduna currently boasts the second highest number of enrolments into the National Identity Database (NIDB), more efforts are underway to up the figures of those who are being registered for the Residents Cards and the NIN. Just over 3.1 million people have been enrolled in the biometric database, around one-third of Kaduna’s population, as of mid-February. More digital ID enrolment centres will be opened in all the 255 wards of the State.
“This new policy is being implemented with a view to further improving service delivery at all MDAs, the State’s digital economy and e-governance initiatives, social and financial inclusion, and much more, to the benefits of our dearest residents,” Vanguard quoted Dr. Tsiga as saying.
