Whereas Colombia could also be well-known to the remainder of the world principally for its espresso, the Latin American nation might quickly have one other export – its digital identification.
Since November 2020, the Colombian authorities has been equipping residents with a brand new bodily identification card alongside a digital extension on smartphones, counting on biometric authentication. The digital ID has been bringing disruption to the residents’ relationship with the company and with the general public sector, says Borja Carreras, President of digital identification supplier Gestión de Seguridad Electrónica S.A. (GSE), the corporate behind the app.
“We are closing a big gap in Latin America with the solution,” Carreras advised Biometric Replace in an interview on the sidelines of the Future Identity Festival 2023 in London.
The so-called cédula digital is a part of the nation’s bold digital transformation efforts, which positioned the nation at third place on the OECD Digital Authorities Index (DGI) in 2019.
The digital ID system has 1.8 million registered customers as of March with plans to achieve 10 million by the tip of 2023. The mission was launched by the Nationwide Digital Company led by the Ministry of Know-how and Telecommunications (MINTIC) and run by the Nationwide Civil Registry of Colombia (RNEC). The ID can also be accessible to Colombian ex-pats dwelling within the U.S. and to digital nomads residing in Colombia.
Colombia has different causes to introduce the digital ID. Markets reminiscent of Europe and the UK have been preventing to comprise the flood of fraud introduced on by on-line transactions. In Latin America, nonetheless, these issues are on an entire completely different stage. Criminals in Colombia have been inventive find new impersonation and fraud strategies.
“In Latin America, everyone in your small village without technical knowledge can be a hacker,” says Carreras. “It’s incredible because the people have a lot of time and they don’t have the fear of the law.”
Due to the completely different method to crime, the corporate has needed to implement a distinct method to safe the programs and to guard the customers, provides Leonardo Maldonado, chief of expertise alliances at GSE.
In Might, the Nationwide Registry Workplace began piloting facial authentication with a number of banks with the assistance of its associate, Idemia. Apart from face biometrics, GSE can also be open to different applied sciences, says Carreras. The second version of the digital ID was launched on the finish of November.
“Colombians, be proud,” Registrar Common Alexander Vega Rocha mentioned on X in the course of the launch.
The replace has introduced providers reminiscent of biometric matching by authorities databases, authenticating and digitally signing paperwork from private and non-private entities and receiving notifications from public and monetary establishments.
“This is the evolution of the email,” says Carreras.
Subsequent up: SSI and different nations
The corporate’s subsequent steps embody exploring self-sovereign identities (SSI), which is able to enable residents to share data with trusted entities whereas retaining their privateness.
The Colombian digital ID has already turn into accepted as a passport, permitting journey to numerous nations in Latin America.
GSE is now engaged on bringing their answer to their governments. The corporate has just lately showcased the digital ID in Peru at an occasion organized by nationwide registries of South American nations.
Article Subjects
biometric authentication | Colombia | data protection | digital ID | Electronic Security Management (GSE) | Latin America
Author: Masha Borak
Date: 2023-12-25 22:25:28
