France
The French Ministry of the Interior has chosen four firms to develop the management system for its digital identity scheme: Sopra Steria, Atos and a partnership formed by Idemia and Idakto. The contract for providing remote identity verification via facial recognition has yet to be awarded, reports Acteurs Publics via Biometric Update.
Sopra Steria won the contract to provide management services for architecture, security and user experience, reports L’Usine Digitale.
Atos will be responsible for the development and maintenance of the Digital Identity Management System (SGIN) and the applications that will allow French people to identify themselves for public services via the FranceConnect portal.
The Idemia and Idakto collaboration will provide the software for reading the information from electronic identity documents which will form the basis of the digital identity. These include the new generation of electronic ID cards, resident permits and passports.
However, the facial recognition technology contract has yet to be awarded. This will be used for sign up where a registrant uses a device to scan their physical credential with NFC and then face biometric authentication is required to link the person applying with the digital ID being scanned.
The Ministry of the Interior is reportedly hoping to sidestep the issue by providing a six-digit PIN when the new electronic ID cards are issued over the summer.
United States
The House of Representatives Task Force on Artificial Intelligence discussed the need for legislation to establish a government-wide approach to improving digital identity safety during a recent hearing on privacy protections in the digital age.
The hearing covered the use of artificial intelligence in financial services industries, which ACA International recently submitted comments on as part of its advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C.
The consensus of the task force was that digital infrastructure like mobile identification is needed to improve access and equity online. The task force members also discussed how digital identification is a long-overdue tool to transition the country into the digital age while preventing fraud, and improving privacy and equity in online interactions.
According to data from the Federal Trade Commission , there were nearly 1.4 million reports of identity theft in 2020, approximately double the amount in 2019.
Ghana
The Ghana Health Service in partnership with Gavi and Arm will begin a biometric-based national vaccination programme in October 2021 using contactless technology from Simprints. Starting in the Eastern region, the project is reportedly the first national vaccination scheme to use contactless biometrics.
After initially dispensing COVID-19 vaccinations, the system will move on to incorporate other routine vaccinations as a function of the Ghana Health Service aim for universal health coverage.
Gavi, the vaccine alliance, brings the immunization expertise to administer vaccines, including for COVID-19, in a trackable way via biometric records created with Simprints technology, supported by Arm’s input, funding and global network, according to a posting by Gavi to Arm’s blog.
After trialling technologies for contactless fingerprint and facial recognition, the project will use low-cost Android smartphones in the field to make the initiative as easy and cheap as possible to roll out.
The system does not require an existing formal identity document. A biometric identity will be created for individuals and elements of the latest database downloaded to health worker handsets allowing them to continue vaccination offline and upload when a connection becomes available. The hope is that this approach will be effective in terms of population reach as well as low wastage rates.
For the second dose for COVID-19 vaccines, the individual’s biometrics will be verified to recall their record and check appropriateness for the second and if administered, update the records.
Nigeria
Lagos-based biometric identity verification company Youverify has rolled out an all-in-one digital identity wallet that enables individuals to preserve personal ID information in an encrypted format.
The wallet, which is in the form of a free downloadable app, also allows businesses the possibility of biometric onboarding for customers without them having to manually fill out Know Your Customer (KYC) forms or compromising trust, Business Day Nigeria reports, via Biometric Update.
Businesses integrating the app can allow users to easily share KYC information, and can track and monitor physical address locations of customers while maintaining trust, minimizing incidents of fraud and ensuring procedural compliance, the company explains.
Youverify’s YouID, which was launched in Lagos this week, can be used to securely sign up to websites or other online services without any need for passwords or usernames.
ID documents such as digital ID cards, passports and driver’s licenses can be stored on the digital wallet, which authenticates user identity with face biometrics through a selfie. The wallet is also designed to constantly keep track of any data breaches and leaks to inform users, Business Day notes.
YouID Key allows users to implement a passwordless feature or use multi-factor authentication to protect their passwords, TechBuild.Africa reports.
Malawi
A project to help the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) put in place a unified database of digital ID and Know Your Customer (KYC) data has been launched to allow many more Malawians access to a broad range of services.
The initiative, which seeks to build on the increasingly robust digital identity ecosystem already existing in the country, is co-sponsored by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), through the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, according to a UNCDF press release.
Malawi’s digital ID system was established within a period of three years with support from the United Nations Development Programme, and it has over 9.2 million citizens already enrolled for it.
The two UN agencies are providing technical assistance for the digital KYC project, while the RBM will be overseeing the implementation on the ground.
The project mostly targets low-income citizens and those who face challenges identifying themselves when trying to access certain public services, with the major goal of helping the RBM digitize the KYC system for financial institutions in the country.
New Zealand
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and GS1 are rolling out a new digital identity number designed to help New Zealand organisations identify different parts of their business.
NZBN Organisation Parts are 13-digit Global Location Numbers (GLNs) linked to an organisation’s New Zealand Business Number (NZBN).
Each GLN, supplied by GS1 New Zealand, can be allocated to physical, digital, or functional departments within a business. For example, organisations can allocate different GLNs to branches, departments, and delivery addresses.
More than 831,000 organisations use NZBNs – and now the addition of Organisation Parts will bring more opportunities for digital growth.
MBIE general manager business & consumer Ross van der Schyff says that Organisation Parts enable New Zealand organisations to digitise their businesses and compete in the changing digital economy.
France
The French parliament has passed a new law requiring all health workers to get vaccinated, and has also mandated special COVID passes for anyone who wants to eat in a restaurant or travel by plane or train. According to The Associated Press, both measures passed on Monday (July 26) amid protests and tension in the country, with President Emmanuel Macron saying these steps are necessary to protect people and hospitals as case counts rise.
Holland
Dutch companies Onegini and iWelcome have merged to become OneWelcome, which is currently providing digital identity services to more than 100 European enterprise customers.
The new entity has been described by the merging parties as the largest customer identity and access management (CIAM) software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions vendor in Europe. They say its creation highlights their shared goal of simplifying and securing digital business for enterprises on the continent, according to a joint announced.
OneWelcome is certified by the Dutch Government for eIDAS and serves more than 100 enterprise customers across Europe, most of which are part of regulated industries. The company protects several millions of digital IDs for some of its key customers including Aegon, Admiral Insurance, Baloise, Malakoff Humanis, PostNL, Dutch Railways and the European Central Bank.
OneWelcome CEO Danny de Vreeze said the merger underpins their shared vision of securely connecting people, businesses and things with digital identity.
Canada
Bank CIBC announced a new digital identity verification option, enabling prospective CIBC clients in Canada to verify their identity in minutes, without the need for a trip to the banking centre or to speak to a client care representative to open new accounts online. Utilising machine-learning algorithms, digital verification technology offers fast, easy and secure onboarding for new CIBC clients through the CIBC website or mobile banking app.
“We know our clients and prospective clients are seeking smart, convenient banking, and digital identity verification is another way we’re innovating to meet our clients’ changing needs,” said David Attard, SVP, digital banking & enablement, CIBC. “We continue to transform and enhance our digital experience to save our clients’ time and effort, and make it easier to bank with us.”
Digital identity verification is available to clients completing an online application for a chequing account, savings account, personal line of credit, or credit card.
Australia
The NSW Police will have a prominent voice on the state’s newly formed Digital Identity Ministerial Advisory Council (DIMAC) to advise on the government’s strategic direction for digital ID.
The new council is chaired by Digital and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello and includes a cross section of state and federal bureaucrats, academics, financial services sector executives and global consultants.
The council, which was announced in May and finally named lAT last Tuesday, included the Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott and as well as NSW Police executive director of strategic priorities and identity Duncan Anderson.
Dominello said council brought together experts to ensure personal privacy and security are enshrined in all policy making design.
