Taiwan delays digital ID, smartphone app supports Quebec driver’s licenses, and Croatia to launch eID

Taiwan is delaying its planned launch of a new digital ID system due to complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan News reports.

The plan had called for old ID cards to be phased out beginning in October, but plans to bring in anti-counterfeit technology from abroad have been disrupted. The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said manufacturing equipment to produce the eIDs needed to be imported, and a batch of sample cards the country was hoping to have this month are delayed.

In response to public data security concerns, the MOI also repeated that the Citizen Digital Certificate intended as an online ID credential does not have to be included with the new eID, and the CDC can be deactivated or revoked if necessary. The source code will also be made available to the public, and data security tests conducted.

A factory belonging to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which Taiwan News reports is the largest semiconductor factory in the world, will produce the cards.

A petition from more than 100 individuals have signed a petition against the launch of the eID, meanwhile, calling for a designated task force and new regulations to deal with security risks related to the new credential.

Digital driver’s license launched in Quebec

The Canadian Province of Quebec is the second in the country in which digital driver’s licenses tied to the user with biometrics have been launched by Bluink’s eID-Me, iPhone in Canada reports.

An Android version was released days ahead of the iOS version, enabling biometric authentication and encrypting all stored information.

“Bluink’s mission is to empower Canadian citizens, governments and enterprises to interact securely by making access to trusted digital identities a reality,” Bluink CEO Steve Borza told iPhone in Canada in an email.

The digital identity app launched in Ontario last month, and now supports Canadian Passports, and Ontario Photo Cards, Driver’s Licenses, and Health Cards in addition to Ontario’s Enhanced Driver’s License and Quebec Licenses.

Borza said that delivering self-sovereign digital identity to every person in Canada is the company’s mission, and it is now in talks with relaying parties to have the app integrated and adopted.

A representative of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), which issues driver’s licenses in the province, told Biometric Update in an email that the digitized version is not recognized as an official document for police checks.

“The driver’s licence presents many security components that can only be detected by a police officer. This confirms the identity of the driver and the fact that the piece is really issued by the SAAQ,” the spokesperson writes. “Although technology has progressed — and we are following its evolution — we believe that there are still conditions to be met in order to offer a safe and dependable electronic solution.”

Croatia prepares to meet biometric ID card deadline

Croatia will launch electronic ID cards with facial and fingerprint biometric data stored on a secure chip with an additional digital ID component next year, according to a Google translation of a Vecernji List article.

Fingerprints from both hands will be stored on the chip, along with the facial image.

The mobile device-based digital credential will allow individuals to manage their data and verify their identity electronically. It will not bear an extra cost, according to the report, and can be activated from a government website.

The cards for people aged 18 to 70 expire after five years.

EU rules requiring ID cards to contain biometricsID cards to contain biometrics come into force in 2021, and the Croatian government has floated a draft bill proposing changes to the Identity Card Act for public consultation to provide the legal basis for the new IDs.

The post was updated at 11:27am on May 4, 2020 to clarify that the digitized Quebec driver’s license is not issued by the provincial government and include information from the SAAQ.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Bluink  |  Canada  |  credentials  |  Croatia  |  digital identity  |  driver's license  |  e-ID  |  EU  |  facial recognition  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  Quebec  |  Taiwan