Swiss e-ID has an official name, technical implementation plan

Switzerland’s government has outlined plans for the technical implementation of its upcoming national electronic identity, including a trust infrastructure that guarantees high levels of privacy. The digital ID wallet has also received its official name – Swiyu.

The technical implementation of the e-ID will be conducted in two stages, the Swiss Federal Council announced last Friday. During the first stage, the government will introduce a highly secure trust infrastructure, including technology used by the European Union.

Switzerland launched a public test environment for the e-ID in March 2022, allowing federal and cantonal authorities and private individuals to get a taste of the trust infrastructure before its rollout. The technology used in the first stage will start tests during the first quarter of 2025. The source code of individual components of the new test environment is available in open source, the government notes.

At the same time, work will continue on a second-stage solution that would ensure even more stringent privacy requirements.

The ultimate goal is to prevent tracing e-IDs to an individual. The government is allocating 1 million Swiss francs (US$1.1 million) for research and is inviting interested parties to develop the solution.

Earlier this year, the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) conducted public consultations on the technical implementation of the e-ID. The consultation, which drew nearly 100 opinions, outlined demands for high-level privacy and the possibility of using the e-ID internationally.

To fulfill both objectives, the e-ID trust infrastructure would have to support different technologies. According to the FDJP, however, only one will be ready for use in time for the 2026 deadline for the e-ID launch.

In June, the government published a e-ID technical roadmap, listing two options under consideration for the trust protocol, one from OpenID Federation and one which is a dedicated Swiss solution.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  digital identity  |  digital wallets  |  e-ID  |  Switzerland  |  SWIYU  |  trust framework