Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s privacy regulator, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD), has ordered the Worldcoin Foundation to halt all its operations in the region, citing that its practices violate local privacy regulations.
The PCPD released a statement this week revealing that Worldcoin had collected facial and iris biometric data from at least 8,302 individuals during its Hong Kong operations.
After conducting 10 covert inspections at six Worldcoin locations in December 2023 and January 2024, the agency determined that such extensive collection of biometric information was “unnecessary and excessive.” It added that such actions violated the principles of data protection under Hong Kong’s privacy laws.
Africa
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has welcomed commitments made by various African countries to integrate refugees and stateless people into their national identification systems.
Countries including Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia highlighted successful and ongoing initiatives such as comprehensive legal frameworks, digital ID programmes, national surveys on statelessness and measures to ensure access to financial and social services at a session led by UNHCR at the ID4Africa 2024 annual general meeting in Cape Town. Participants agreed that digital identity and related services can drive socio-economic progress for displaced populations in Africa and beyond.
Governments and partners showcased progress in enhancing identity systems to protect refugees and foster their inclusion in national systems. Key initiatives included facilitating seamless integration between refugee and national ID systems and improving service delivery; rolling out measures to allow forcibly displaced people to open bank accounts and acquire SIM cards using refugee IDs; issuance of Refugee Convention Travel Documents; and ensuring birth registration and certification for all forcibly displaced and stateless people.
Africa
Mastercard is doubling down on spreading its Community Pass, a digital platform that holds a digital ID and wallet in a smart card and enables people in developing nations to access to government and humanitarian services.
The payment giant is partnering with the African Development Bank Group to deliver digital identity and access to online services to 100 million individuals and businesses across Africa over the next 10 years.
The African Development Bank Group has pledged to invest US$300 million into the initiative, named Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa. Mastercard, on the other hand, has promised to register 15 million users in Africa onto the Community Pass platform within five years.
The initiative will initially focus on supporting the agricultural sector in women. The first pilot program will launch in 2024 in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria. The Alliance will work with local banks to provide digital identities and access to seeds and other resources. The program will then expand to Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana and the rest of the continent. The Alliance also plans to work with public and private partners to deliver services, including connectivity, work skills, employment and financial services.
Baltics
In a collective appeal, the Innovation Club of Latvia, Germany, Estonia, and Lithuania wants the European Commission (EC) to enhance the European Union’s digital identity system.
With the European Union Digital Identity (EUDI) Regulation, Member States will be required to offer at least one EUDI wallet to their citizens and residents by 2026.
In a recent document titled “Make it simple: Our blueprint for a more innovative Europe,” the Innovation Club proposes several key recommendations to the European Commission, structured around four main pillars. It includes reducing the regulatory burden, ensuring high-class digital infrastructure, advancing towards a data economy, and harnessing international standardisation.
Germany
Meanwhile, Germany is preparing to test new solutions for the upcoming European Union Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet, paving the way towards a wallet app that allows citizens to identify themselves and manage identity data and documents.
The German Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation (SPRIND) has announced the first six participants of its 13-month competition to design EUDI Wallet prototypes.
The winning projects are Sphereon Wallet for All from Netherlands-based digital credentials company Sphereon, Heidi: Humanzentrierte EID Infrastruktur under Zurich firm Ubique Innovation, Animo Easy-PID from Utrecht-based Animo Solutions, eID client Wallet-Evolution from German company Governikus, TICE Wallet from Berlin-based startup Tice and eEWA – easy EUDI-Wallet App made by another German firm called Authada.
The six teams will receive funding to implement and prototype their ideas. Each team is expected to develop at least one wallet app for Android or iOS.
Indonesia
President Joko Widodo has launched the Indonesian government’s new technology platform, INA Digital.
The INA Digital app will accommodate public applications for digital ID, as well as health services, education, social aid, police permit for public assembly, and driver’s licenses in a single portal.
INA Digital aims to evolve the way Indonesian citizens access government services. Developed by 400 local digital talents under the GovTech Indonesia project, according to the Jakarta Globe, the app aims to streamline and integrate various public services into “a single, user-friendly platform.” The IKD digital identity card will function as a single sign-on credential for all public services.
United States
As of May 2025, adults will no longer be able to use traditional state-issued ID documents for federal purposes, including domestic flights. The program has been nineteen years in the making, birthed from the REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, with the intention to “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses and identification cards,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.
It has been reported that passports will still be accepted but standard driver’s licences will not. Those who are over 18 but do not have a passport can apply for a Real ID or Enhanced ID at the DMV website. Enhanced IDs will enable US residents to cross land and sea borders from Canada, Mexico and some Caribbean countries without the need for a passport, but do not apply to air travel. Real ID can be used for domestic air travel within the U.S. But to get past the international gates, travellers will still need a valid passport.
Thailand
Resecurity (USA) has launched a new Digital Identity Protection (IDP) solution in Thailand. Resecurity’s IDP aims to empower individuals and organizations in Thailand to safeguard their digital identities against emerging cyber threats.
Key features of Resecurity’s IDP solution include advanced monitoring capabilities, real-time threat intelligence, proactive risk mitigation and a user-centric interface.
