Editorial

Digital Identity: Global Roundup

Digital identity news from around the world

Posted 29 March 2021 by Christine Horton


Brazil

The Brazilian government has announced it is advancing its digital identity plans. As per Forbes, an agreement between the Superior Electoral Court, the Ministry of Economy and the Presidential Office was signed to implement and accelerate the Civil National Identification (CNI) project.

Under the CNI initiative, which was created in 2017, all Brazilian identification records will be brought together into a single database, to be shared by shared by several government entities. The database will gather all citizen identification data, such as the national ID, driver’s licence and voter identification details.

The project also encompasses the integration of biometric citizen records. The Superior Electoral Court has been collecting such records over the last few years and has collected biometric information of 120 million Brazilians so far.

According to the government, the agreement “demonstrates the Judiciary and the Executive branches are working together to serve citizens”, according to Economy minister Paulo Guedes. A working plan will be devised with goals for the project going forward, as well as the attributions of the various database holders which will be unified as part of the initiative.

France

The French government has begun its rollout of smaller digital ID cards equipped with QR codes and fingerprints to fight identity theft.

The government formally approved the new cards earlier this month. The département of Oise, to the north of Paris, was the first to rollout the new ID cards. From August 2 officials across the whole of France will be able to distribute to the new cards to applicants, which means authorities will stop issuing the old ones.

The old ID card will remain valid until 2031 so those who have one won’t need to do anything until it expires.

The new ID cards look like the old ones, but they are smaller and equipped with an electronic chip and a QR code. The electronic chip will contain all the personal information that is stated on the physical card (name, date of birth, nationality etc), including the picture, in addition to two fingerprints (except for children under 12 years old).

Australia

Australia Post’s Digital iD identity credential can now be used with DocuSign, allowing users to prove their identity for e-signatures without uploading physical identity documents separately.

Amid an acceleration of digital identity in the wake of the pandemic, DocuSign has integrated its ID verification solution with Digital iD to “verify signer identities for both existing and guest users”.

It allows Digital iD users to use their reusable identity as part of the DocuSign verification process, which connects an identification method to agreements that require an e-signature.

New users are also able to “enter the details from their identity documents which are checked against official sources”, DocuSign said.

UAE

Cygnet Infotech has launched the latest version of Cygnature – an electronic signing e-signature solution. The company has now integrated UAE PASS, the ‘Secure National Digital Identity and Digital Signature solution for the UAE.’

This means UAE-based citizens can use the digital signature solution for remote identification before consuming any online service. With UAE PASS, they can use different services across various sectors without the need to have multiple access credentials.

UAE PASS is collaboration between Smart Dubai, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Abu Dhabi Digital Authority. It is legally aligned with the federal law on electronic ecommerce and transactions, and it is equal to a written signature. Citizens and residents with a valid Emirates ID card are currently the only users eligible for UAE PASS.

Antigua and Barbuda

The government of Antigua and Barbuda has partnered with HID Global to roll out the company’s Integrale for CRVS (Civil Registration and Vital Statistics) in the country this month, to modernize the civil registry system and provide digital identity to the nation.

As per Biometric Update, the solution will be providing a reliable information source for verifiable digital identity information, allowing the government to record citizens events like births, deaths and marriages. HID Integrale was configured to create civil registration records that can be used by 26 stakeholder organizations, including the Banking Association.

The system can integrate data from legacy identity systems, make links between families for stronger authentication, and trigger in-person follow ups when further registration information is required. The system uses a centralized database to provide a single source of authoritative and verifiable digital identity information.

Spain

Intelligent CIO reports that 10 leading Spanish companies are working together to develop a self-managed digital identity model with blockchain technology. 

They will be launching a solution which will give the user a single self-managed digital identity, in a secure reliable environment, to make it easier to fill in forms automatically to take up services, among other uses.

The project, known as Dalion, has completed the concept test, as well as the second phase of the project, to rollout the solution in May 2021. This initiative is open to new partners to boost its usage.

The project, including Banco Santander, Bankia, BME, CaixaBank, Inetum, Liberbank, Línea Directa Aseguradora, Mapfre, Naturgy and Repsol, and the Alastria consortium, will give users control over their personal data, “making digital identity self-managed by each person in a secure and reliable manner a reality.”