Secure Identity Alliance Highlights Utility of National Digital Identity Programs

The Secure Identity Alliance (SIA) has published a new report that examines various government digital identity programs. The Giving Voice to Digital Identities Worldwide study was conducted in collaboration with onepoint, and specifically looks at some of the technical and strategic choices that 25 governments have made while introducing digital IDs.

In doing so, the SIA came to the conclusion that digital identity services can have a positive effect on people’s lives. For example, digital identity programs can make it easier for people to gain access to various government services, especially when those services are being delivered through online channels. The SIA called particular attention to the utility of facial recognition, which can help with identity verification to make sure those channels are secure.

The report goes on to highlight some of the more impactful applications of digital identity technology, and tries to establish a set of best practices for countries that want to introduce (or improve) their own digital identity programs moving forward. In that regard, the SIA noted that COVID-19 has created more demand for digital identity services and accelerated digital transformation all over the world.

“We are seeing a range of societal, economic and technological forces colliding to drive a new era of innovative ID services – redefining how people interact with both public authorities and the private sector,” said SIA Chairman Philippe Barreau. “Delivering on this promise requires ID schemes [that] are trusted, inclusive and built on a robust digital identity framework.”

“We wanted to understand government programmes’ unique design and deployment challenges, the individual success factors, and why they chose their particular route forward,” added onepoint Partner and study co-author Yannick Ragonneau. “This approach offers a much richer source of insight for both public and private organizations.”

SIA Board Members IDEMIA and Thales have both spent the past year encouraging people to embrace digital identity technologies. IDEMIA recently introduced a new TravelKiosk to help European states meet the latest Schengen area Entry and Exit Requirements, while Thales has launched a new mobile onboarding solution backed with facial recognition.

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February 22, 2021 – by Eric Weiss