OECD Guidelines for Standardization and Management of Digital ID
Mohammad J Sear
Digital Gov. & Public Sector Consulting Leader, Middle East and Africa (MENA) at EY
In 2024, having a solid standard for digital identity is becoming even more crucial. This is because it's not just important for how our societies, economies, and governments work but also for their resilience during tough times.
A blog post from the World Bank earlier this year highlighted a big issue: around 850 million people worldwide don't have any official proof of who they are. Most of these people live in Africa.
The writers of the blog post were (rightly so) worried because, without any proof of who you are, it's really hard to get access to important services from the government or private companies. This, indeed, is a big problem that could leave many people out.
But they also talk about what a good ID system should be like. They said it should be fair for everyone, something people can trust, easy to check if it's real/authentic, and most importantly, it should work well for what it's needed for.
Right now, things like ID cards and passports help us access different services and travel to other countries. But these documents alone might not be enough for the future. We need something better to deal with the changes and challenges we face today and in the times ahead.
Creating a standard for digital ID
By 2026, Gartner estimates that at least 500 million smartphone users will use digital identity wallets to prove who they are. This new way of doing things means that when you verify who you are once, you can use that proof in lots of different places without doing it all over again.
This change is important because it gives people more control. Instead of relying on others to confirm your identity each time, you can do it once and then use that proof wherever you need it.
Now, we know that many governments have been working (for some time now) to ensure reliable and trusted access to a digital identity that is portable across platforms, sectors, and borders.
However, challenges exist both at the national and international levels to implement this ambition, including:
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Often, these challenges are shaped by technology and underpinned by foundational questions of governance that include strategy, public-private collaboration, regulation, and international cooperation.
This cooperation (and funding) will be even more important for developing countries.
What does the OECD recommend?
To ensure the long-term sustainability of digital identity, it's important that governments treat digital identity as critical digital public infrastructure.
But, obviously, this means that governments need to balance different goals depending on their national context.
This requires a governance framework that is flexible and adaptable and promotes interoperability across borders.
That's why the OECD gives out some recommendations to help make this a reality.
However, keep in mind that while the principles relating to the governance of digital ID are the same, the use cases and everything else (including user experience, challenges or even mechanisms for implementation) will be different.
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Recommendations:
Focus on inclusion and minimizing barriers to access to and the use of digital identity
-This means accessibility, affordability, usability, and equity
-Also, it's important to raise awareness of the benefits and the possible harms of such digital IDs
-And more importantly, it's necessary to take steps that ensure support is provided through appropriate channel(s)
Strengthening the governance of digital identity
-This means taking a strategic approach to digital identity and defining roles and responsibilities across the digital identity ecosystem
-Countries need to set out a long-term vision for realising the benefits and mitigating the risks as mentioned above
-They need to take steps to ensure that ALL competent authorities at government levels monitor and protect the digital identity ecosystem
Enabling cross-border use of digital identity
-Nations need to identify the changing needs of users (or service providers) in different cross-border scenarios
-They have to cooperate internationally to establish trust in other countries' issued digital identities. Once again, cooperation comes up as an important issue in standardization
-Countries need to produce a roadmap to engage as appropriate and applicable with international counterparts in support of cross-border digital identity
The roadmap should scope out steps that would be needed to enable:
a) Domestically recognised digital ID solutions to be used internationally;
b) Digital identity solutions and credentials from other countries are to be recognised domestically
Final thoughts
As we move forward, it's crucial to ensure that these ID systems are designed to benefit everyone, especially those who may not have easy access to traditional forms of identification.
The ability to verify our identity digitally, securely, and conveniently, as recommended by the OECD, opens up new opportunities while also posing challenges that need careful consideration.
To make this work well, everyone – governments, companies, and tech experts – needs to work together. They have to set rules that are fair and make sure everyone can trust these digital ID systems. This way, they can make life easier for everyone while also keeping information safe.
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