Why we don’t have a digital ID card in the Netherlands yet
You have been paying with Apple Pay for years now and have a vaccination certificate on your iPhone. However, you cannot identify yourself with a digital ID card yet. Why is that?
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A digital ID card is more complicated than it sounds
A physical ID card or passport is actually very old-fashioned. According to the law you are officially not allowed to leave the house without proof of identity. In many trouser pockets there is not enough space for a wallet – and taking your ID with you separately is asking for trouble. If you go out for a night, you’ll lose that thing again. Are you right again 68.50 euros lighter for a new one.
During the corona pandemic, we all carried a digital vaccination certificate with us, so that we could go to the terrace or the cinema during the milder phases of the lockdown. Why is that possible, but we still don’t have a digital ID card? We figured it out.
It all turns out not to be as easy as it seems. An identity document must of course be completely reliable. If it does not meet the highest security requirements, it is simply impossible to enter a digital ID – after all, it must not be hackable or forged in any situation.
Government has plans for a so-called vID
we are with iPhoned of course not the only ones who dream of an ID card on our phones. The Dutch government is therefore working on a ‘vID’, as a possible digital ID card will be called. This would be valid throughout Europe at airports, entertainment venues and situations with the police. A full proof of identity, therefore.
In September 2020, the government – in collaboration with various government organizations, the business community and other organizations – started testing the vID. According to the government, it is extremely important that the vID is accessible to everyone in the future. That is why inclusion target groups are also included in the innovation research. Think of people with disabilities or people who are less (digital) skilled.
It will probably take years, but the digital ID card is coming. That’s almost certain. However, a lot still needs to be done before that happens. For example, a Dutch digital identity card is not even legally possible yet, says State Secretary Van Huffelen of Digitization.
A lot of fuss about any ID card on your iPhone
Not everyone is happy with the plans for a digital identity card. For example, professor of privacy and identity Bart Jacobs of Radboud University fears “the end of freedom as we know it”. Sounds a bit intense to our ears – we are not professors either, let’s put that first – but it is of course very important that it is not tampered with. For example, if apps or hackers gain access to such personal data, this can lead to catastrophic consequences.
What do you think of the plans for a digital ID card? Let us know in the comments below this article! Want to read more similar articles? Then sign up for our newsletter, download the free app and keep an eye on our website!
