EU eyes blockchain as digital travel identity management progresses

Digital travel is arriving, and it is a change, but what form it will take and its implications are still being worked out. That process is happening in the theoretical domain, as with the exploration of blockchain in a new report from eu-LISA, and in the practical, as with a wave of disruptions hitting Canadian airports this weekend.

One of the main themes of the report on “Identity Management Technologies in the Context of International Travel and Migration” is that digitalizing travel practices creates a need for continuous investment in research and technology development.

Perhaps most striking is the discussion of blockchain for use in managing the identities of people claiming asylum.

Digital Travel Credentials, remote enrollment solutions, blockchain applications and digital identity wallets and self-sovereign identity (SSI), the latter two grouped together, are identified as emerging digital identity management technologies and innovations.

The report reviews the basics of legal and digital identity, how they are presented in travel documents and the role of eu-LISA.

It acknowledges “the somewhat limited success of the eIDAS regulation in stimulating the widespread adoption of electronic identity in cross-border applications in the EU” as a motivation for the revised regulation. This introduces greater need for digital identity management, and consideration of how all of the pieces will fit together to form the significantly more complex architecture of eIDAS 2.0.

Remote enrollment is noted as a particular challenge, and the potential and various types of DTCs outlined. In that context, biometric presentation attacks, the iMARS initiative and the EU’s DTC pilot projects are summarized.

The fourth chapter, on digital identity and humanitarian services, focusses mainly on the use of blockchain and its potential to “ensure a secure, user-controlled, and interoperable foundation for digital identity management in the context of asylum processes.”

Germany’s Federal Blockchain Infrastructure Asylum (FLORA), which is intended to minimize errors and the risk of data manipulation, is one example. Finland is using blockchain to deliver financial services to refugees, and the World Food Program (WFP) records transactions with iris scans in a camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan on the Ethereum-based “Building Blocks,” the report notes.

Seamless travel, Europe’s lessons for the world on supporting the sector and public-private partnerships are on the agenda at the 25th World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit, which began in Rome on Sunday.

Biometrics adoption and lessons

The “Face Easy e-Channel” service for eligible Hong Kong residents on arrival at Hong Kong International Airport is launching Tuesday September 30.

Arriving passengers need to have one of a handful of Hong Kong IDs or travel permits, and have used HKIA’s Flight Token at departure to perform identity verification with their face biometrics without showing a physical document or QR code.

In some airports, even relatively straightforward identity management processes remain somewhat precarious. Canadian officials may note that the eu-LISA report concluded with a caution about the importance of maintaining privacy, security and accessibility amid digitalization.

The Canadian Border Services Agency’s online passport verification process at kiosks and using the ArriveCAN app collapsed on Sunday after a technical issue arose during routine maintenance. Airline staff were forced to manually place calls to verify each traveller, causing many to miss flights, according to the CBC.

Airports in Montreal, Toronto and Calgary suffered disruptions and warned travellers of possible delays passing through customs. Delays were reportedly minor at Vancouver International Airport.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  biometrics  |  border security  |  contactless biometrics  |  digital identity  |  digital travel  |  digital travel credentials  |  eu-LISA  |  identity management