In the United States, verifying
your identity can be a hassle. Every
document requires a physical signature and people have to carry multiple ID
cards for things like driving, social security, and health insurance. Some countries, like Estonia, offer a digital
alternative. Every citizen in Estonia
has an electronic ID card. These cards can
be used to authenticate any information that citizens need, including birth
certificate, health insurance, and other legal documents[1]. They offer two-factor authentication, which
means that they can be used as legally binding signatures and face-to-face
identification. The digital identities
are secure, too. The Economist[2]
has reported that “no security breaches have been reported,” in the ten years
that the system has been active. Because
every resident is given one of these cards when they turn 15, the country has
been able to improve their efficiency and significantly decrease their reliance
on paper for standard documentation.
The
only thing holding the program back from being and complete success is that
international businessmen doing work within Estonia don’t have access to these
ID cards, meaning their signatures are still required for legal deals. However, this is about to change. Estonia recently announced a new e-residency
program in which people who do business in Estonia frequently will be able to
purchase one of these cards for use as a legal digital identification card.
This news is very interesting. Estonia is the first country to not only launch
this broad of a digital identity program, but also to offer it to anyone doing
business in the country. Other governments have tried to implement
digital ID cards like this in the past, but public hesitance and a lack of
commitment to the costs associated have caused them to scrap their programs.
Things
may change with the public announcement of this program, however. With a proven ten year track record, and the
ability to support millions of people from other countries, the European Union
is pushing a law that will make other countries support other digital IDs. Similarly, the prevalence of identity theft
and the lack of security in a signature may spark a change in how much of the
world handles identities.
The
move to digital is an important one.
Being able to prove identity, sign documents, and confirm insurance
information with a single card would simplify almost everything we do on a
regular basis. Not only that, but it
would also help to keep sensitive information secure and protected, which is
difficult when all of your information is kept on separate cards and documents.
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