Editorial

Digital Identity: Global Roundup

Digital identity news from around the world

Posted 5 June 2023 by Christine Horton


Europe

The European Commission is set to invest €46 million into the European digital identity (EUDI) wallet, in the form of four pan-European pilot programmes.

The EUDI wallet is an upcoming mobile phone app that promises citizens of the EU’s 27 constitutional countries a way to store and share digital identity data.

The four pilot projects are set to involve more than 250 private and public organisations “across almost every Member State”, as well as Norway, Iceland, and Ukraine, and they will run for at least two years. The projects will work on 11 priority use cases, which will look to improve citizens’ access to trusted and secure digital identity according to the release.

The projects represent a combined investment of over €90 million in the EU digital identity ecosystem, 50% co-financed by the Commission.

Pakistan

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has launched the Beta version of Nishan Pakistan, a platform to enable small and medium sized businesses in the country make the most of its digital ID stack.

NADRA chairman Tariq Malik said that Nishan Pakistan is a game-changer platform designed to empower commercial startups and young entrepreneurs with secure and contactless biometric verification through secure data sharing with NADRA.

Malik added that the platform offers an API gateway and a sandbox that enables a smooth integration with other systems and will provide a set of services that will help businesses with “a seamless, consistent and connected experience,” and also contribute to ongoing efforts of making Pakistan a truly digital nation.

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea could be heading for a country-wide digital identity system by 2025 according to statements from two of its politicians, as per Biometric Update.

Security Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr said that the government would be able to electronically register 95 percent of its population of roughly 9.5 million in the country’s National Identification (NID) program by 2025.

This will include the necessary upgrades to the server hardware needed for storage, as well as tools to capture biometric data for facial recognition and eye scans.

The country’s Prime Minister James Marape recently said he wants to be able to institute an India-style electronic voting system using biometrics before the country’s upcoming General Election 2027.

Bulgaria

Evrotrust’s eID scheme has been made Bulgaria’s official digital identity programme, following a decision by the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria.

In addition, as of this April, Evrotrust (also known as Eurotrust) has also been validated by the EU member states in the Cooperation Network of the European Commission.

Bulgaria’s eID, based on technology by the vendor, allows residents to provide digital identification for public services, such as for taxes, pensions, education or healthcare.

Global

OCR Labs Global has re-branded as IDVerse. The new name apparently “highlights the company’s commitment to a comprehensive and universal approach to identity verification.” IDVerse also highlighted the importance of Zero Bias AI in the company’s identity verification platforms and products.

Meanwhile, IDVerse has teamed up with Experian to help its customers carry out automated digital IDV checks, smoothing the onboarding process for clients and partners. Experian can use generative AI technology from IDVerse for automated document verification, liveness and face-matching.

Europe

IDnow announced it is participating in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Public Key Directory (PKD) pilot programme to further enhance its document checking capabilities in commercial air travel. First established in 2007, the ICAO PKD is a central repository for exchanging the information required to authenticate electronic Machine Readable Travel Documents (eMRTDs), such as ePassports and electronic ID cards.

Today covering 90 issuing authorities worldwide, the ICAO PKD offers a way for countries to upload their own technical data related to ePassports and electronic ID cards and download that of other issuing authorities, thus eliminating the need for bilateral exchange of this data. The ICAO PKD takes on the role of a central broker for this technical information while also helping to ensure that the information adheres to the necessary technical standards (i.e., ICAO 9303 specifications) to maintain interoperability.

United Kingdom

iProov and FacePhi have both been granted official recognition via the UK Digital Identity Certification Scheme.

As certified Digital Identity Service Providers (IDSP), they can complete digital identity checks for the Right to Work, Right to Rent, and DBS schemes respectively, in line with the UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (UK DIATF).

Maldives

Authorities in the Republic of Maldives have unveiled a mobile application for the country’s national digital ID (eFaas) system.

The release of the app, which can run on smartphones of Android 5.0 upwards and also available for download on Google Play and App Store, is for public preview ahead of its official release, according to an eFaas tweet.

Launched in 2012, eFaas is a digital ID platform in the Maldives designed to facilitate the way users get access to government services.

Togo

The government of Togo has hired Atos and Idemia to create a MOSIP-based national digital ID programme for its citizens. The new IDs are expected to include finger, face and iris scans.

Financial details were not disclosed nor was a deadline. The biometrics-based foundational digital ID project is getting funding at least in part from the World Bank-supported West African Unique Identification (WURI) regional integration programme.