Digital ID
A digital ID, or Digital Identity, is an electronic representation of one’s identity that can be used to authenticate and authorise access to online services, secure transactions and verify identities in digital environments. This relatively new technology utilises digital wallets in order to store different kinds of identification documents, such as your driver’s licence or ID, helping streamline processes such as KYC.
This means that if fully adopted, you can perform actions such as opening a bank account with just your phone. Furthermore, digital IDs offer unique functionality in that you can choose which information you want to share at any time. For example, you can share your age and full name but not your place of birth if that information isn’t needed. This is thanks to privacy-preserving technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs.
Digital identity, online identity
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e-ID, DID
Examples
The main benefit of a Digital ID is that it could substitute many different physical forms of identification. For example, instead of carrying your regular ID card, your student ID card, your driver’s licence and your passport, all of these documents would be stored within your digital wallet on an app on your phone. And whenever you needed to verify your identity in some form, you’d simply log into the app and display the needed information.
FAQ
Is a digital ID secure?
Yes, digital IDs will use encryption, biometric identification, and multi-factor authentication to ensure your data is kept safe.
How to get a digital ID?
Currently, digital IDs are not universally accepted nor fully implemented. Therefore, you should check whether the country/state you reside in has implemented Digital IDs. If available, there should be a government portal or app for creating your Digital ID.
How is a Digital ID different from a physical ID?
Typically, a Digital ID will be used for online identity verification while a physical ID is used for in-person identification. Furthermore, digital IDs haven’t been implemented in all countries or even in all industries while physical IDs have.
