Trinidad and Tobago, Korea, and Belarus governments advance ID credential plans

The Roadmap to Recovery team within Trinidad and Tobago’s government has recommended fast-tracking the country’s digital identity plans to support the adaptation of business processes and create a “digital first government,” Trinidad and Tobago Newsday reports.

The proposed “e-identity” would be managed by the government and mandatory for access to government services. The credential would supersede all existing identity documents, and support ecommerce, in addition to government processes.

A draft of the team’s proposal was widely distributed on social media, though it is reported to be incomplete and unofficial.

“Covid19 has forced the Government, private sector and CSOs to rethink how technology can be leveraged to effectively navigate the crisis and accelerate the recovery process,” according to the draft.

Korea launches commission to develop regulation

Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) has launched a task force to examine authentication and ID verification in financial services, and develop a regulatory framework for such systems.

The task force held its first meeting on June 8, discussing policies for technological neutrality, the development of the industry, and data security. The digitalization of financial transactions is expected to accelerate with widespread usage of mobile devices and increasing demand for digital and contactless services.

“The passage of the revised Digital Signature Act on May 20 at the National Assembly paved the way for a vibrant competition between diverse authentication services including simple passwords and different types of biometric authentication mechanisms,” the Commission writes in the announcement.

The FSC plans to support the development of a diversity of innovative authentication mechanisms to provide convenience and security in electronic financial transactions. A multi-level identification system that addresses the different levels of sensitivity among transactions.

Belarus biometric passports still on track for 2021

Despite disruptions caused by border closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Belarus is still on track to begin producing biometric passports and ID cards in 2021, according to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency.

Internal Affairs Ministry Citizenship and Migration Department Head Aleksei Begun expressed optimism that experts from other countries will arrive on time to launch issuance of biometric documents in January of next year, and noted that despite specialists from Latvia and China being unable to enter the country as scheduled, hardware had arrived, and online consultations to assemble it have been arranged.

The ID card will become the only recognized identity credential domestically, while the new passport will be the only credential for international travel, each replacing a series of documents. Issuance of ID cards is mandatory for citizens from 14 years of age.  The ID cards are expected to cost Br27 (roughly US$11.35), while the passport will have three cost levels.

The launch of the documents was previously postponed by a year.

Article Topics

Belarus  |  biometric passport  |  biometrics  |  border management  |  digital identity  |  e-ID  |  financial services  |  government services  |  identity document  |  identity verification  |  South Korea  |  Trinidad