The Future Of Digital IDs: The European Digital Identity Wallet Architecture (2023)

A few days ago, the European Digital Identity Wallet Architecture and Reference Framework were published, and it is now accessible on the EU website. What does this framework mean, and what’s its purpose? In this post, we try to clarify some of its aspects.

What is the European Digital Identity? (by ChatGPT)

The European Digital Identity is a proposed framework for a secure and user-controlled digital identity for citizens and businesses in the European Union (EU). The framework is intended to enable citizens and businesses to securely access online services, such as e-commerce, online banking, and government services, using a single digital identity.

The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, proposed the European Digital Identity in June 2021 as part of its wider Digital Single Market strategy. The proposal includes the creation of a digital wallet that would store a user’s personal data, such as name, address, and date of birth, as well as their digital identity credentials.

The European Digital Identity framework would be based on open standards and interoperable with existing national digital identity schemes in EU member states. It would also be available to non-EU citizens who reside in the EU.

The goal of the European Digital Identity is to provide a secure, privacy-respecting, and convenient way for citizens and businesses to engage in online transactions across the EU, while also fostering cross-border data flows and digital trade.

The EUDI Consortium

The EUDI Wallet Consortium (EWC) is focused on a high volume, high adoption use case that is central to peoples’ online lives. Research consistently shows that, after social media and messaging, eCommerce is the most important use of the internet for Europeans. These building blocks will be made available to all other pilot consortia.

1. Travel (primary use case)
2. Payments
3. Organizational Digital Identity (“ODI”)

What The EUDI Could Look Like

Just like Apple Wallet, the future of Wallet is no wallet at all. An implementation of the EUDI could look similar to (or even be compliant with) Apple’s Wallet IDs.

More resources

• The European Digital Identity Wallet Architecture and Reference Framework
• Analysis of EU Digital Identity Architecture and Reference Framework (Avast)

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