Acuant joins DIACC, Paiblock and Infineon launch digital ID solutions for government services

Digital government services continue to be a hot topic, with Acuant joining the group leading Canada’s digital ID efforts, a Canadian province announcing funding for digital ID pilots, the expansion of Paiblock’s digital wallet solution and extended capabilities for Infineon’s digital identity card.

Acuant has joined the Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) to support the creation of a trust framework for more secure and broadly useful digital identity in the country.

The company says it is dedicated to enabling trusted transactions that preserve privacy, giving control of personal data to consumers and minimizing risk. Part of that commitment means helping to shape the future of identity services.

“Becoming a member of DIACC is a natural extension of who Acuant is and what we stand for – creating a safe ecosystem for digital identities that is embedded with security, privacy and scalability,” states Yossi Zekri, president and CEO at Acuant, in the announcement. “We are excited to join this group and see this as a global mission. The identity landscape is evolving, and we want security and privacy to mirror this to allow the owners of their identities to be in control.”

“The DIACC strives to grow our membership base to include more of the key players within the identity industry,” comments DIACC President Joni Brennan. “The Council and I welcome Acuant and the thought leadership they can bring to furthering our mission and work.”

DIACC is a non-profit coalition that includes representatives from the federal and provincial governments as well as the private sector, and formed the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework (PCTF) in September to provide organizations with a set of guidelines for digital ID program development.

Ontario invests in digital wallet

Canada’s most populous province, meanwhile, has announced it intends to invest CA$500 million (roughly US$381.7 million) to upgrade digital capabilities and services, including a digital identity wallet, Kitchener Today reports.

The investment is part of an “Ontario Onwards” plan, and will provide seed funding for pilot projects to test out promising digital transformation projects. More than 30 projects are currently in development or under consideration, according to the report.

The digital identity wallet is planned to enable Ontarians to store digital versions of government IDs like driver’s licenses, public health cards, and birth certificates on their mobile devices.

“A digital identity will make life easier and more convenient while protecting people’s identities and helping combat fraud,” said Ontario’s Minister Responsible for Digital and Data Transformation and Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy.

Bethlenfalvy offered remote doctor’s appointment check-in and online applications for small business permits and licenses as examples of how the digital wallet could be used.

The provinces of British Columbia and Alberta also have digital identity initiatives underway. Consultations in Ontario’s project will begin in January, with the goal of introducing it in 2021.

Paiblock wallet adds digital ID support

Meanwhile in Denmark, fintech Paiblock, which calls itself a ‘payment and digital lifestyle platform,’ has made a step towards defining the latter role with the launch of a new feature set allowing users to add national social security cards and driving licenses to its application to support digital processes.

Government agencies and private organizations can push government IDs and credentials into user wallets through the OpenWallet API. Credentials the AI and blockchain-backed Paiblock wallet supports include ID cards, biometric passports, government-issued digital invoices, vaccination cards and medical records.

The new features are available in 33 countries, including Canada, across three continents.

Infineon adds multi-application and country customization to digital ID JAVA Card

The card form factor could also play a role in digital government, as Infineon has launched the SECORA ID X as its flagship solution for contactless, multi-application ID based on JAVA Card.

The new release upgrades SECORA ID, which came out a year ago, and SECORA ID S, which was released earlier this year, with support for a range of digital ID products from identification only to applications combining identification with digital signatures and secure web access.

SECORA ID X also enables country-specific customization, and post-issuance actions such as card activation by the user in the field, which Infineon says can help encourage acceptance of eGovernment applications.

The new solution will initially be available with the ePasslet Suite from cryptovision GmbH.

Article Topics

Acuant  |  biometrics  |  Canada  |  DIACC  |  digital identity  |  fraud prevention  |  government services  |  identity document  |  identity verification  |  Infineon