Irish initiative seeks privacy-focused digital identity, AU10TIX verifies ID for Uber cash payments

The Emerald Consortium has unveiled the Emerald Project, a plan to foster the adoption of digital identity credentials for routine issuance and everyday use, the Bankless Times reports.

As part of the program, U.S. companies have been encouraged to test and trial their technologies focusing on anti-money laundering, the healthcare sector, and education.

The Emerald Consortium is made up of stakeholders from among credential issuers like government, educational and financial organizations, and credential verifiers.

“The goal of the Emerald Consortium is to put in place a self-sovereign, credentials-sharing network serving the island of Ireland,” Barry Ryan, chief architect for Europe with insurance providers Irish Life and Canada Life.

According to Ryan, several companies interacting with Ireland in the digital identity space are already from the U.S., including Evernym, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle. The Emerald Project is carrying out some initial pilot projects with Evernym technology, according to the report.

Among the technologies deployed for the development of digital identity solutions on a national level would be blockchain, Ryan said.

Tamper-proof and verifiable, blockchain technology is already being used extensively in the country with foreign direct investment organization IDA Ireland relying on infrastructures from we.trade and TradeIX, among others.

Uber partners with AU10TIX on digital identity

Uber has entered a new partnership with biometric verification solutions firm AU10TIX to verify the identity of new riders who prefer to pay with cash, the companies announced on Tuesday.

Following the beginning of the collaboration, Uber riders will be able to verify their identity using AU10TIX’s authentication platform.

The pilot program will be firstly deployed in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile, and will require certain users who select cash as their preferred payment method to scan their voting credentials, national ID, passport, or driver’s license to have their identity verified.

“In the current business climate, more drivers and riders are wanting added reassurance for cash payment options, and we want to give them that,” said Ron Atzmon, AU10TIX active deputy chairman.

The new agreement follows the companies’ first partnership in 2019, which focused on Uber’s core rideshare service. Now, Uber and AU10TIX are extending their partnership to electric scooters and Uber Eats.

“Working together with Uber, we are delivering on this with AU10TIX’s identity document verification technology that provides the reliability, efficiency, and scalability required to help provide peace of mind,” Atzmon added.

The new collaboration was also fostered by the necessity of tackling difficulties connected with the pandemic’s effects.

“As COVID-19 has shifted priorities for both Uber and AU10TIX, our partnership with Uber has also evolved,” explained Carey O’Connor Kolaja, AU10TIX’s CEO. “Together, we worked on a platform that brings together payment preference and identity verification to prioritize safety for both riders and drivers. We expect this launch to set the stage for us to expand into other countries where Uber is experiencing elevated demand for cash payments.”

Article Topics

AU10TIX  |  biometrics  |  credentials  |  data protection  |  digital identity  |  Evernym  |  identity document  |  identity verification  |  KYC  |  privacy  |  secure transactions  |  self-sovereign identity  |  Uber