ID2020 certifies Mastercard Community Pass as meeting requirements for ‘good digital ID’

Mastercard Community Pass has been certified by ID2020 for meeting dozens of functional technical requirements and agreeing to adhere to principles for “good digital ID.”

The technical requirements were formulated in 2019 by representatives of ID2020, Linux Foundation, Accenture, Microsoft, MIT, and the Open Identity Foundation. They include stipulations for applicability to challenging identification scenarios, like offline environments, cost and effectiveness of identification and verification, authentication flexibility, privacy and user control, attestations and trust, interoperability, and recovery and redress. The certification provides identity project funders, implementers, and end-users with assurance that the solution was developed with consideration of the ethical principles, inherent risks and potential harms that accompany digital ID systems.

Community Pass was unveiled in 2019, and Mastercard plans to use the platform to deliver digital identity to millions of people in Africa and the Asia-Pacific Region. The platform includes the Farm Pass, and recently expanded to India.

The platform is intended to give individuals a functional ID and a digital wallet in smart card form, that can enable access to government and humanitarian benefits and various services. It is also intended to help governments, NGOs and other service providers delivery services to more people while lowering costs, according to the announcement.

“We could not be more delighted to announce the certification of Mastercard’s Community Pass,” says ID2020 Executive Director Clive Smith in the announcement. “Mastercard has long been a leader in the movement toward more privacy-preserving approaches to digital ID. We are encouraged to see them extend their product offerings to serve those who live in rural environments and who often struggle to access even the most basic of services. We hope that other solution providers will follow their lead to ensure that the needs of society’s most vulnerable are met.”

“As we move towards a more digital world, we must ensure that no one is left behind,” says Andro Koutsoudis, vice president of Mastercard Community Pass. “Cultivating privacy-preserving digital identity is not just a matter of technology, it’s a matter of trust – and the true power of digital identity lies not in the data we digitize, but in the lives we can change. We thank ID2020 for their recognition and ongoing partnership. By prioritizing privacy and empowering marginalized individuals to benefit from their own digital identity, we can build a more inclusive and equitable society for all.”

Kiva and Gravity were granted the first ID2020 Certifications in early-2020, and were followed by Zaka Group and BLOK BioScience.

Article Topics

certification  |  digital ID  |  financial inclusion  |  ID2020  |  Mastercard Community Pass