The European Digital Identity will be available to all citizens, residents and companies of the European Union who want to identify themselves or provide confirmation of certain personal information. It can be used both online and on-site in public and private services in the European Union. Each citizen will therefore be able to have a kind of digital wallet.
“Every time an app or website asks us to create a new digital identity or to create a user on a platform, we have no idea what is actually happening with our data. That is why the Commission will propose a secure European digital identity. One that we can trust and that every citizen can use anywhere in Europe to do anything from paying taxes to renting a bike. A technology with which we ourselves can control what data is used and where”, declared Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
Benefits of the European Digital Identity:
Anyone with a national identity card has the right to a digital identity that is recognized anywhere in the European Union.
A simple and secure way to control how much information you want to share with services that require information sharing.
It can be used with a digital wallet available in mobile phone applications, to:
-identify yourself online or on site.
-store and share information provided by governments, for example the name, surname, date of birth or nationality.
-store and share the information provided by trusted private sources.
-use the information to confirm the right to reside, work or study in a certain member country of the European Union.
Why is it necessary?
Currently, only 60% of the population of the European Union can use their national digital Identity Document outside its borders. Only 14% of key public services in member states allow authentication with digital identity systems, for example to prove a person’s identity on the internet without the need for a password. The number of successful cross-border authentications is very small, although it is growing.
72% of users want to know how their data is processed when using their social media accounts. 63% of EU citizens want a single digital ID for all online services (according to a Eurobarometer survey).
