The Citizen ID Forum will review the global status of deployments of government-issued eID documents

We are witnessing the foundation of a global infrastructure supporting a major technology shift: the digitalization of citizen ID documents. The issuing of machine-readable passports is just the first of three subsequent digitalization waves – after ePassports, National IDs, Driver’s Licenses, eHealth and Social Security Cards, ‘Green Cards’, and even Visas become digital documents across the world. Such a revolution paves the way to a broader market penetration of RFID and biometric technologies in the public and private domains.

ePassports While all Schengen countries now boast digital passports, new entries in the ePassport arena like Turkey are taking center stage in 2007. ePassports capitalize on advanced technologies to enhance the security and efficiency of border control operations. The three cornerstone features of the ePassport issuance process are PKI, digital identity and biometrics. One hot issue this year will be the move from BAC to EAC. .

National IDs Although over 80% of the twenty-five European Union Member States already have some form of identity card scheme in place, very few are based on electronic cards. However, the trend towards this form of technology is becoming ever more apparent and numerous European Union members are either in the process of introducing a biometric-based system or are at least considering doing so..

Other eID Documents With regards to other emerging citizen ID programs - Driver’s Licences, ‘Green Cards’, Visas, (with the exception of eHealth Cards) - the trend is a move towards nationally issued ID documents that can be used in an international application context. In much the same way as with ePassports, the use of biometrics is expected to enhance security by making it easier to link the eDocument with the rightful owner.

4 Hot Topics As part of the ID WORLD International Congress, a particular attention will be given to the secure ID documents enabling identification technologies: RFID   Radio frequency identification technology may have been around since World War II, but it is only in recent years that these electronic ID tags have found applications in mass markets and are beginning to demonstrate their potential to revolutionize our IT infrastructure. Today, RFID is being used to identify people in access control, IT security, banking and eGovernment applications. Biometrics   The idea that machines can automatically recognize people by their faces, fingerprints, voices, iris patterns, hand geometries, signatures, hand vein patterns or other unique physical traits opens up a world of possibilities in the field of security. By including biometrics in electronic ID documents, issuing authorities are able to guarantee that they can only be used by their rightful owner. Smart Cards   The rapid increase in cases of identity theft and financial fraud, coupled with heightened national security concerns, the explosion of the Internet and the demand for electronic devices that meet the needs of today’s increasingly mobile lifestyles have driven the card industry to develop high security identification devices, such as smart cards, for user authentication. Data Collection   Since their invention in the early 1950s, barcodes have accelerated the flow of products and information throughout the global business community. Today the EPC (Electronic Product Code) represents the evolution of the barcode and is set to take automatic identification and data collection, and the business processes they support, to greater levels of efficiency.