21 Feb Our member Cryptshare on eID
The Importance of having an eID to safely access web services
Our ECA member CRYPTSHARE has issued a complete Blog post on electronic ID. eID is now widely used in dealings with Swedish banks. However, it can also be used in Identity and Access Management systems, hence help facilitate secure access to information systems and web services in general. It’s probably time for eID systems to become popular and hopefully standardized at European scale.
Below we summarize the document by Cryptshare, whose complete version can be found here
While digital identities still represent largely uncharted territory in Germany, in Scandinavian countries eIDs were successfully established years ago. There, digital proof of identity is now an integral part of people’s everyday lives. It is used daily in public and private sectors and brings great added value not only to consumers, but to public authorities and companies alike. A great example of this are Swedish banking services, now widely relying on « BankID ». How was it possible to get BankID off the ground there and where does Sweden stand today in terms of digital identities?
The eID in the form of the Swedish BankID is a success story : the user numbers as well as the number of transactions carried out speak for themselves. The implementation of BankID brought citizens and customers the possibility to prove their identities digitally, in a legally secure and simple way. Due to the large number and range of use cases that were created many different offers and transactions could take place digitally, regardless of place and time. BankID enabled significantly better user experiences, saved time, and enabled people to take care of their business in a flexible, convenient and, above all, secure way. The introduction of the Swedish BankID took a pragmatic approach: Existing systems were used making implementation much easier.
BankID also impressively demonstrated that a successfully implemented eID can become the basis for future projects.
The first step was to look at who already had expertise and experience in secure digital identity credentials and where there was already a corresponding infrastructure. Swedish banks were subject to strict security requirements. They already had the necessary infrastructure for high-security digital authentication and a broad customer base. Those who were already bank customers and had clearly identified themselves in previous business relationships no longer needed to physically present themselves at the bank with their ID but could apply for their own BankID without such hurdles. This easy online access through banks was BankID’s prime advantage. The example of Sweden clearly shows that eIDs work and bring great added value for authorities and enterprises, but also for citizens and consumers. The potential for eIDs to serve as a catalyst for the digitalisation of the economy overall is vast. Therefore, it seems more than worthwhile to implement eIDs all across Europe/ the world.
The implementation of eIDs can happen swiftly as long as there is the will to do so and authorities and enterprises work together pragmatically. If access to eIDs is made easy and there are sufficient use cases, high user acceptance and usage rates can be achieved quickly. In Sweden, for example, digital identities in the form of BankID are now used regularly and organically for a wide range of everyday needs. eIDs have become part of everyday life in the Nordic countries. BankID also impressively demonstrated that a successfully implemented eID can become the basis for future projects. In Sweden, the success of BankID strengthened the trust in cooperation between the big banks and Swish was born. Today, this is the second most popular P2P payment method in Sweden with around 8 million users. The Swedish BankID is a success story for everyone.
Find out more about Cryptshare on their website or visit their LinkedIn profile