Digital Identities and Trust Services

In the UK, physical identity documents such as passports and driving licences are not centrally issued identity cards, and instead operate as proxies. In fact, the UK Government has not issued centralised forms of identification since 2011, when identity cards were scrapped following widespread opposition to their existence. Digital identities are not, therefore, a new identity document but a way to assert identity based upon existing documentation. This adds layers of complexity to the development of digital identities in the UK compared to Europe, where centrally issued identity cards exist. The UK is currently in the early stages of developing a framework for a private sector digital identity market. 

Privacy and Data Protection: Protecting personal information is critical to maintaining trust in digital identities. Organisations must implement stringent data protection measures to prevent unauthorised access and data breaches. Regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union provide a legal framework for safeguarding digital identities and ensuring that users' privacy is respected. The EUDI Wallet is shaped in such a way to provide control to its users over the scope of data they want to share. Furthermore, any entity asking for confirmation of identity or certain attributes of an individual using digital identities must also ensure compliance with data minimisation principles. 

Transparency and Accountability: Trust is built through transparency and accountability. Users must be informed about how their data is being used and have control over their digital identities. Organisations should be transparent about their data practices and be held accountable for any misuse or breaches. Providing clear, accessible privacy policies and obtaining informed consent are key aspects of fostering trust.

The future of digital identities lies in developing more secure, user-friendly, and interoperable systems. Innovations in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain technology, hold promises for enhancing the security and trustworthiness of digital identities. Furthermore, international cooperation and the harmonisation of regulations will be essential in creating a trusted digital identity ecosystem that transcends borders.

As technology continues to evolve, so too must our approaches to managing and safeguarding digital identities, ensuring that trust remains at the forefront of our digital interactions.

Trust services

Digital identities do not exist in a vacuum. In fact, asserting or verifying someone’s identity is usually only the first step before some kind of digital transaction is done by that person. While electronic signatures have been with us for some time, a few important pieces of the digital ecosystem have still been missing on a European level. This will likely improve with some further additions introduced by eIDAS 2.0. 

A long-known limitation of higher levels of electronic signatures, namely low penetration, will be addressed by the new service of remote management of e-signature certificates. This service will allow people to conclude digital transactions using qualified electronic signature without a need to carry a dedicated signature hardware. Presumably it will also provide a much more user-friendly way to complete transactions. 

Another practical issue that needs to be tackled by many companies - the need to properly archive electronic documents - will be addressed by the new qualified electronic archiving services. This could help both enterprises and individuals to preserve reliability of electronic documents concluded by them over time. 

An electronic ledger, on the other hand, could serve as an immutable book of records in relation to several use cases. Meanwhile the last newly introduced qualified trusted service of electronic attestation of attributes will directly complement the benefits of the EUDI Wallet.