Digital ID wallet, Italians among the most enthusiastic: 75% ready to take action
According to Thales surveys, we are well above the EU average of 66%. Like the “wallet” on smartphones on which to upload all the documents. However, privacy and simplicity must be guaranteed. By September 2023, all Member States will have to make the platform available: after the full roll-out pilot phase in 2024
06 Jun 2022
Patrizia Licata
journalist
The unique digital wallet for the identity documents of European citizens is one of the main digitization projects proposed by the European Commission. The reception may not be enthusiastic on an EU scale, but Italy is an exception, as revealed by a survey conducted by Thales.
The survey shows that two-thirds of Europeans are ready to put their documents (driver’s license, identity card, passport, but also diplomas and certificates) in the Digital Id wallet that you carry with you in your smartphone. Others prefer to put unofficial photos or scans of their paper documents on their mobile phones. In Italy the percentage rises to 75%; we are second only to France, where the enthusiasts ready to welcome the digital wallet of personal identity are 85%.
Index of topics
• Too many do-it-yourself solutions
• Security and user experience are the key requirements
• EU digital id wallet , starting in 2023
Too many do-it-yourself solutions
By September 2023, all EU member states will have to make a digital identity wallet available to their citizens. It will start with a pilot project to get to the full roll-out in 2024.
Thales’ survey was conducted in December 2021. In all, 1835 citizens of seven EU countries responded. Although 27% currently use some form of Digital Id according to individual national programs, 45% still use unsafe and unofficial “Diy” photos and scans of their identity cards and other documents or certificates.
Security and user experience are the key requirements
The survey shows that for citizens the EU pilot project is important to test above all the user interface and user experience, so that they are simple but also safe.
In almost all the countries included in the survey, the government is listed as the provider of preference for the European Digital Id wallet . However, whatever the provider, users want the guarantee that this digital wallet is secure in terms of protecting data and their privacy from potential hacker attacks. 65% of Europeans define security as the most important requirement for every wallet, followed by convenience and confidentiality.
On the user experience, 34% of people say they currently find it difficult to prove their identity when renewing a document, 30% have problems when making a valuable purchase that requires them to show their identity card, and 29% have difficulty when asking for access to financing. In general, 40% of Europeans prove their identity, but if they use a digital format it is only 5% who encounter difficulties.
“By providing citizens with a safe and convenient way to prove their identity and certifications through the smartphone, the European digital identity wallet will allow for fast and secure interactions between citizens, governments and private companies. Thales, as a digital security company and trusted provider of digital identities, is committed to solving citizens’ needs with its already tested wallet solutions,” commented Youzec Kurp, Vp Identity and biometric solutions at Thales.
EU Digital Id wallet , starting in 2023
In February, the European Commission accelerated on the Id digital wallet project by launching an online platform to gather stakeholders’ comments on future European digital identity wallets. The move follows last June’s proposal for “a reliable and secure digital identity for all Europeans.”
Personal digital wallets will allow citizens to identify themselves digitally and to store and manage identification data and official documents in electronic format (e.g. driving licence, medical prescriptions or diplomas). With these wallets, citizens will be able to prove their identity when necessary to access online services, share digital documents or simply prove a specific personal attribute, such as age, without revealing their identity or other data. Citizens will always have full control of the data they share and the use of the wallet will be completely voluntary.
To ensure that the European digital identity quickly becomes a reality, the Commission has invited Member States to develop a toolbox that addresses the technical aspects of the future system, in full respect of the legislative discussions in Parliament and the Council, which take place in parallel, and in line with the results of those discussions. The package of common instruments should be ready in September this year.
The Id digital wallet app will be available to all EU citizens, residents and businesses. Citizens will be able to prove their identity and share electronic documents from their European digital identity wallets by simply pressing a button on their phone. They will be able to access online services with their national digital identification, which will be recognised across Europe.