Digital ID

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See also Covid passport, Vaccine passports

Digital ID refers to an extension of current physical ID documents such as driver’s licences, passports and bank cards.. Digital ID is a way to verify who we are online securely, in a manner that offers data protection and safeguards our personal information.

Alternative definitions may be found in criticism section.

Purpose

Through the beginning of the twenty-first century, identity was typically affirmed by the use of paper or plastic cards, issued by third parties. In the United States, the Department of Motor Vehicles issues Driver Licenses, and other government identification cards. States may also issue ID cards of some form as well, such as welfare cards, gun permits, and fishing licenses. Organizations such as libraries, and membership-only clubs may issue identification cards as well. Additionally, independent companies may issue ID cards of a sort, such as insurance cards, gym membership cards, credit and debit cards, and other customer identification cards (for "rewards programs" and customer behavior tracking for marketing purposes). A digital ID system is designed to serve multiple purposes, eliminating the need for each separate identification card. It also provides much greater control to a single authoritative party, rather than a diverse collection of entities, each for their own purposes. This could theoretically be useful in fighting crime.
However, that same single authority can use their power for negative purposes as well. For example, an opponent of the politicians in power could suddenly find their digital ID has been revoked, meaning that they can no longer bank, travel, buy food, earn money, or do much of anything else, all at once. The single ID authority would yield incredible power over its citizens, which some people see as a benefit and purpose of digital ID.

Legal Identity for all, UN SDG target 16.9

According to United Nations' Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Statistics Division, everyone has the right to be recognized as a person before the law, as enshrined in Article 6 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and Article 16 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Sustainable Development Goal Target 16.9 ("legal identity for all, including birth registration, by 2030") is key to advance the 2030 Agenda commitment to leave no one behind, and equally relevant is SDG 17.19 — support to statistical capacity-building in developing countries, monitored by the indicator "proportion of countries that have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration".

ID Day

A number of groups and influencers are pumping the trendiness of "ID-Day", including biometric-update's affiliated podcast site id169 "Sept 16 is Int’l #IDday for #SDG 16.9 on #legalidentity for all."

What Is the Identity Day Campaign ? The Identity Day (ID Day) Campaign is the ongoing Call for government authorities in all countries around the world to officially recognize 16 September as Identity Day.

The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the important role identity plays in empowering individuals to exercise their rights and responsibilities fairly and equitably in a modern society. Countries and organizations that choose to observe this day, would be encouraged to organize events and activities that stimulate public awareness and sensitize legislators and public servants about the responsible adoption of official identity and the necessary protections around it to ensure that it is a tool for public good.SDG 16.9 made ‘legal identity for all’ an important development goal which was embraced by all 193-member states at the United Nations. This campaign is the logical extension of that work

Canada

Adopted by Canada and all other 192 United Nations Member States in 2015, the 2030 Agenda is a 15-year global framework centered on an ambitious set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

There are many government affiliated organizations working to advance digital identity systems in Canada. See ktdi.org, Policy Horizons and Digital Identity and Authentication Council of Canada

Airports / Known Traveller Digital Identity

The Known Traveller Digital Identity (KTDI) program is a collaboration between the government of Canada, the World Economic Forum and private sector to develop a secure and efficient digital identity system for air travel. The program aims to use biometric and digital identity technologies to create a more seamless and secure travel experience for passengers.

The KTDI program was first announced in 2018 by the Government of Canada as part of its National Strategy for Secure Travelling Abroad. The aim of the program is to enhance the security of air travel while also making the travel experience more convenient and efficient for passengers. The program aims to use biometric data such as facial recognition, fingerprint, and iris scans to confirm the identity of passengers, making it easier for them to move through the airport and board their flights.

The program has a pilot phase, with several Canadian airports participating in testing and evaluating the technology. Once fully implemented, the program will be available to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents with a valid passport.

It's worth noting that the implementation of the program is in line with the national strategy of Canada to enhance security and improve the passenger experience, but it also raises concerns about privacy, security, and accessibility. The government of Canada has stated that the personal information collected through the program will be protected and used only for the specific purpose of the program, and that the use of biometrics will be optional for passengers.

Border Land Travel / ArriveCAN

The ArriveCAN app is an official government of Canada app that is used to help digitize border crossing into the country. "Travellers returning to Canada: You are required to provide info upon entry for COVID19. Download the ArriveCAN app to do it quickly and limit points of contact at the border". The app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play and is free to use. Concerns surround whether the app is mandatory to use.

Digital Health Credential Systems / Provinces

By 2021 Most provinces in Canada had announced plans to implement a digital vaccine certification system, such as Ontario, which will use a digital version of the COVID-19 vaccination record card and a mobile app called the "COVID-19 Vaccination Record" to allow residents to demonstrate their vaccination status.

Bankers Association

In Feb 2022, Neil Parmenter of the Canadian Bankers Association promoted digital identity advancement as being on the cusp of a revolution in how people authenticate online.

Criticisms

Many critics take broad views of what is digital identity. For example, a pervasive take in places like UK and Canada is that digital ID is already here (youtuber Coin Bureau, see notes on surveilance and bank freezing). Ukraine was one of the first countries to federate a digital identity system Diia. India also has Aadhaar. Concerns about digital identity are addressed in books such as "Scanned.."(2022) as well, where the thrust pertains to privacy and personal liberties. This section covers an alternative definition and then expands on areas of ongoing concern.

Alternative Definition

One writer proposes to view digital identity broadly as a collection of concurrent trends:

1. trends to tie commerce/banking with politics (frozen bank accounts, vilification of anonymity and privacy, promotion of points systems and social credit systems, promotions of CBDC agendas),
2. trends to require one's most intimate data (biometrics) for authentication and access to commerce(Amazon One), services, and to perhaps remove one's cards ( decentralized methods of proving ID),
3. broader trends toward centralized and restricted access to essentials like gas, food
   
4. uptrending authoritarianism (demands for compliance and trust, perhaps surpassing that demanded during lockdowns and covid vaccine passports)

Many critics view these developments as to be expected and predicted by earlier trends regarding War on freedom, and books like RFK's "The Real Anthony Fauci.. Global War on Democracy and Public Health"

Centralization

Digital ID proponents tend also to seek to centralize a number of things of relative concern among critics:

Trust model: A Digital ID system is a centralized approach to trust. See HTTPS/SSL history for problems with centralized trust models.

Datasets/Databases: Digital ID proponents tend also to seek to centralize very large datasets and databases. This sort of policy is attractive externally (to hackers and bad actors) and internally( human error and incompetence ).

Surveillance

See also the UN Agenda 2030's Sustainable Development Goals for broad collection of areas to watch for surveillance related trends.

Privacy

Many are concerned that federated digital identity places too much importance on "who are you" (as if what a service provider can establish from cards and multifactor authentication falls short and that knowledge of one's business history is needed at each new signup):

It is important to differentiate between digital identification and digital authentication. Digital authentication is something most of us do every day – logging on to our favourite social media site, signing into an account with our preferred ecommerce retailer, or even accessing our mobile device through a thumb scan. Authentication is the act of proving that the person accessing my account or device is me, usually through a PIN, password, biometric identifier or other form factor. Authentication is designed to answer the question “Is that you?” Identification, by contrast, is more complex. Identification is intended to answer the question “Who are you?” Digital ID is the challenge of answering “Who are you? with a high degree of certainty, without resorting to face-to-face interaction and the exchange of physical documents.

Travel (General)

December 2021, just before Christmas, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) acknowledged that it secretly tracked location data from at least 33 million mobile devices to analyze people's movements during COVID-19 quarantines.. Concerns are whether this behaviour continues to this day or has suitable checks and balances.

Carbon tracking Canada's Net-Zero Challenge is a voluntary initiative that encourages companies to develop and implement credible and effective plans to transition their facilities and operations to net-zero emissions by 2050.

See also

• Digital Certificates
• Digital Signature
• Access Control
• Ukraine Digital_ID
• Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)
• Agenda: Great Reset and 4th Industrial Revolution (WEF)
• Right to Privacy
• Surveillance
• Social credit system
• Creeping socialism
• Big tech's role in war on freedom (War on Freedom)