Global Government Forum’s Digital Leaders Study 2023 identified digital ID systems as an essential capability for seamless citizen-centric services. However, some governments have also experienced pushback against digital ID plans, with concerns around security and privacy.
On a recent Global Government Forum webinar, experts from Europe and the US shared their experience with digital ID and where the technology is heading next.
While digital ID plans and proposals have sparked debate in some countries, others have already implemented these systems, and they attributed success to trust and clear value for citizens.
Estonia, for instance, has had a mandatory digital ID for over 20 years. Around 10 years ago, it also introduced an e-residency programme for foreign entrepreneurs, enabling them to set up a company and access business banking and payment solutions, and provide digital signatures that are recognised throughout the EU.
Katrin Vaga, head of international public relations for the E-Residency Project at the Estonian Investment Agency, Enterprise Estonia, said the digital ID system has made Estonia “almost free of bureaucracy as a society”.
“For me, as somebody who has grown up during this period of digital transformation in my own country, I have seen how this digital identification system was built, step by step, [and] how everything was done so that every participant of our society would win from the experience,” she said.
According to Vaga, Estonia’s digital ID saves individuals about five days per year on government-related paperwork and form-filling.
“It’s a lot of efficiency that it has created in society on the citizen level and also for organisations,” she said.
Estonia is now developing a solution for non-residents who are interested in e-residency.
“And we are preparing for innovations in the face of EU digital wallet adoption,” said Vaga. The goal is to preserve the same level of security and data protection as the Estonian digital ID, while making it even easier to use.
Global Government Forum’s Digital Leaders Study 2023 identified digital ID systems as an essential capability for seamless citizen-centric services. However, some governments have also experienced pushback against digital ID plans, with concerns around security and privacy.
On a recent Global Government Forum webinar, experts from Europe and the US shared their experience with digital ID and where the technology is heading next.
While digital ID plans and proposals have sparked debate in some countries, others have already implemented these systems, and they attributed success to trust and clear value for citizens.
Estonia, for instance, has had a mandatory digital ID for over 20 years. Around 10 years ago, it also introduced an e-residency programme for foreign entrepreneurs, enabling them to set up a company and access business banking and payment solutions, and provide digital signatures that are recognised throughout the EU.
Katrin Vaga, head of international public relations for the E-Residency Project at the Estonian Investment Agency, Enterprise Estonia, said the digital ID system has made Estonia “almost free of bureaucracy as a society”.
“For me, as somebody who has grown up during this period of digital transformation in my own country, I have seen how this digital identification system was built, step by step, [and] how everything was done so that every participant of our society would win from the experience,” she said.
According to Vaga, Estonia’s digital ID saves individuals about five days per year on government-related paperwork and form-filling.
“It’s a lot of efficiency that it has created in society on the citizen level and also for organisations,” she said.
Towards interoperability
Finland also has a national digital ID scheme delivered jointly by the public and private sectors, including Finnish banks, mobile operators and the government.
“This kind of approach has allowed us to build a robust and widely adopted national e-ID ecosystem which benefits both the public and private sectors which have been digitalising their services,” said Teemu Kääriäinen, senior advisor in the Public Sector ICT Department of Finland’s Ministry of Finance.
“And we really see it as very important that digital identity solutions are developed together between the public and private sectors.”
Finland has not only focused on digital identities for citizens but also for companies. In addition, the system allows individuals to act on behalf of those who may struggle to access a digital identity and digital services on their own, such as minors, the elderly, or people with disabilities.
On other success factors, Kääriäinen noted that “trust in public sector is generally very high in the Nordics and Baltics” and this has been key to the adoption of digital identity solutions.
“We, however, acknowledge that this is not the case everywhere and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to promote digital ID adoption across the globe,” he commented. “Even though we strongly support digital identities being implemented with the highest level of security, privacy and data protection, they should also carefully balance between usability and security. We see that the usability is really a key enabler for the wide scale adoption of digital IDs, which should be carefully considered when defining the requirements.”
He also stressed the importance of choice and not forcing users to adopt a single solution.
Like Estonia, Finland is now working on areas such as cross-border interoperability, including the national implementation of updates to the EU’s eIDAS (electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services) regulation.
The revision of eIDAS, known as eIDAS 2.0, introduces the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet, which allows users to store and manage personal identification information, such as national IDs, driving licences or diplomas, and securely share it with public or private service providers across the EU.
“We consider the EIDAS regulation revision and the EUDI Wallets as a very important initiative to promote the cross-border interoperability of digital identities in the EU,” Kääriäinen said.
The Ministry of Finance initiated the national eIDAS project in April 2024 and tasked the government’s digital agency with implementing the Finnish public sector wallet.
“It’s been actually progressing really nicely,” Kääriäinen said. “And for instance, through the active participation in the cross-border pilots, we have now available a functioning demo wallet implementation that is aligned with the latest specifications from the eIDAS expert group.”
He added that: “Even though our focus is in the EU, there should not, however, be any reason why we should rule out the possibility to further extend interoperable digital identities to other regions outside of the EU. And luckily, the European Commission has been very active in engaging in discussions with their counterparts in the US and in Canada. And we also see the OECD digital identity recommendation as an important driver for interoperability on a wider scale than just within the EU.”
Unified systems
Raffaele Angius, senior adviser and product owner in the identity expert team in the Directorate of Immigration, Norway, said that “digital identity is already here”, particularly in Nordic countries. “It simplifies our daily life all the time.”
Angius noted a distinction between commercial digital IDs like BankID in Norway, which are designed for specific services, and traditional government-issued IDs like ID cards that verify identity without directly enabling access to services.
He stressed the need for a unified system that combines IDs and credentials in one place bringing together people’s multiple “identities” such as being a student, homeowner, swimmer, library user and mother, even though this adds complexity
“I’m seeing that BankID, for instance, has been experimenting for the past six months or something, with giving you access to store your passport or ID card credentials in the app.” Angius said. “That’s fantastic”
The EU’s eIDAS directive, which is also being piloted in Norway, will provide a standard for a solution that allows people to have both ID and other credentials in a single system.
“The social impact [is] going to be huge,” he said, adding that inclusion and trust are critical for successful digital IDs. The system, he said, should be easy to use, widely accepted, and reliable, with high data quality and a strong service infrastructure to support it.
An eye on the future
William R. Graves, deputy assistant director for futures identity at the Office of Biometric Identity Management within the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is focused on looking at technology “six months to 30 years out”.
The futures work is guided by four pillars: academic engagement; setting standards; prototyping; and transitioning technology into real-world use, while addressing human factors like resistance to change.
DHS is exploring various use cases for digital identity across areas like law enforcement, border patrol, and immigration programmes. The team is identifying gaps in digital identity systems to ensure different departments, like the Transportation Security Administration and Border Patrol, can share successful services, said Graves.
He emphasised the importance of biometric verification for proving identity, alongside traditional methods like driver’s licences.
“You can actually get a GSA [General Services Administration] login.gov account with just your driver’s licence. But using that biometric binding to actually verify the identity of somebody, we think is very important, which is why the office of biometric identity management is part of us,” he said.
Graves also acknowledged the challenges of trust around technology, particularly in areas such as facial recognition, but said ongoing work around standards could help to address some of these issues.
Governments worldwide are navigating the complexities of digital identity systems. As these programmes evolve, the discussion made clear that it’s essential for governments to prioritise building trust and demonstrating clear value for citizens, while also ensuring inclusion and accessibility.
Read the original article by the Global Government Forum here.
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