United Kingdom
Yoti is offering digital ID age checks to businesses free of charge. It says it can offer the service as businesses pay for its other solutions, including right to work, KYC and identity verification checks.
In the UK, the Age Appropriate Design Code (the ‘AADC’, also called the Children’s Code) will soon be complemented by the Online Safety Bill. In the US, California has passed its own version of the AADC which comes into force from July 1, 2024. The Digital Markets & Digital Services Acts have been passed in the EU, and in Australia, they are looking at an ‘age verification roadmap’, which is currently under review.
Europe
The technical specification for the proposed EU Digital Identity (EUDI) wallet will be available in two weeks, according to the European Commission’s digital economy directorate.
The architecture of the wallet set out in the specification takes “a user-based approach” and “is very flexible”, Robert Viola, director general of the directorate said during a digital wallet session held during the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and European Commission’s Digital Assembly 2023 in Stockholm on June 16.
The architecture “allows you to be independent from the smartphone providers” while at the same time allowing you “to use the secure element they provide”, he added.
The goal is to be able to go live by 2027, Sweden’s Minister for Public Administration Erik Slottner also said during the session.
United States
The state of Georgia has announced that 150,000 residents have registered for the state’s new digital identification or driver’s licences. The digital documents are only accepted by officials at certain Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. And the digital IDs do not yet replace physical cards.
United States
The US Department of Homeland Security’s Science & Technology Directorate has issued a call for applications from technology providers for ‘Privacy Preserving Digital Credential Wallets & Verifiers (Digital Wallets)’.
All proposals must “directly support and integrate with the three-party digital identity model (issuer, holder, verifier) that could serve the mission needs of DHS Operational Components and Offices including: US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), DHS Privacy Office (PRIV)”, the DHS said.
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced a milestone regarding the use of the UAE Pass digital ID in the country.
Five million digital ID have been registered and 15,000 public services have been digitised on the government portal U.ae. according to reports.
United Kingdom
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has selected NayaOne to deliver the UK Digital Identity Sandbox as part of the UK’s digital identity and attributes trust framework.
DSIT has committed to undertake robust testing to ensure that the trust framework will work for those who are going to use it. In November 2022, DSIT released a tender via G Cloud for ‘Sandbox testing for UK digital identity and attributes trust framework’.
DSIT will use using NayaOne’s sandbox platform to gather evidence on how digital identity solutions will work in practice in a ‘live’ environment, build evidence for further policy development to support the emerging market, and explore how regulatory and/or other changes can remove blockers to the use of digital identity solutions
The Digital Identity Sandbox will bring together policymakers from a range of government departments, regulators, and technologists to enable and accelerate the creation of policy on topics such as fraud, inclusion and alternative pathways.
United States
Daon has secured two additional patents from The United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patents, #17/959,731 and #17/971,961, introduce technology that enhances the verification process for government-issued IDs.
In the United States alone, there are more than 550 different identity-based documents, like driver’s licences, state IDs, etc., in circulation. Document forgery is the most common type of identity fraud, and overall identity fraud caused losses to businesses and consumers totalling $43 billion in 2022, according to a study by Javelin Strategy & Research.
South Korea
South Koreans are expected to receive their digital identification cards as soon as the second half of 2024, according to the Korean government. Based on blockchain, the digital ID cards will be issued on smartphones registered under the ID holder’s name and will offer QR codes with the holder’s personal information.
The country also plans to issue digital resident registration cards on mobile phones, the Korea Herald reports via Biometric Update. The proposal was adopted on Tuesday by the Cabinet and is now pending legislative approval.
The government projects that digital authentication could bump South Korea’s gross domestic product by 3 percent, or 60 trillion won (US$42 billion) before 2030.
Jordan
After approximately 500,000 Jordanians have activated their digital IDs, the government of the Middle Eastern country is planning to extend the service to its citizens living abroad.
Citizens of Jordan currently have to be physically present in the country to verify their identity by providing fingerprint and iris biometrics, the latter technology provided by IrisGuard. The mechanism for activating the digital IDs outside of Jordan will be unveiled soon. As part of the plan, a dedicated team will be stationed at the Queen Alia International Airport and border crossings to assist expatriates in activating their digital IDs, Jordan News reports.
Malaysia
Malaysia’s state of Sarawak, the largest among its 13 states, is considering creating its own digital identity platform for online verification.
The Sarawak Digital Identity Platform would issue digital passports and allow them to share credentials with public and private organisations. The digital ID rollout would be coupled with physical cards that would allow access to services in areas with no internet such as rural areas.
Malaysia launched a biometric national digital ID initiative in 2021 which is expected to be in place by 2024.
Morocco
Moroccans will soon be able to use their digital identity for accessing health services after government representatives signed an agreement that allows hospitals and other medical institutions to verify the identity of patients through the scheme.
The deal was signed between the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection (CNDP) and the General Directorate for National Security.
Moroccan citizens can choose to include some of their health data in the electronic chip of the national identity card, including patient number, social protection number and other health data.
