Samsung Galaxy S20 supports mobile digital ID to replace physical ID documents

Samsung fans tired of carrying physical ID documents now have a better option, the company says, after introducing eID for Galaxy S20 to deliver seamless identification and authentication. The smartphone is compliant with security requirements demanded by the German government and the European Union.

The feature will be available this year and will allow users to keep IDs on the mobile device. Future plans include developing a system for authorities to issue digital IDs and for users to request one through the phone. The registration process is secured with end-to-end encryption, providing full personal data protection.

Samsung’s eID leverages a multi-party registration process to prevent identity fraud. If NFC support is available on the card, users can tap it on the back of the phone and enter a PIN to apply for eID.

The smartphone is embedded with a Secure Element (eSE) chip that operates as a highly secure storage component that stores and processes sensitive data. Even if an unauthorized person has physical access to the phone, the chip prevents the information from being stolen by detecting unauthorized tampering and generating unclonable keys. The chip also hides power usage information and electromagnetic radiation to block hacker access to personal data.

Samsung Galaxy S20 has received CC EAL 6+ certification for hardware security. The eSE is compliant with eIDAS, allowing EU states to adopt eID solutions.

Article Topics

authentication  |  digital identity  |  e-ID  |  identity document  |  mobile device  |  Samsung  |  smartphones