Digital identification

The Dutch government is in favour of digital identification, both in the public and private domains. However, there is no general agreement about the form that digital identification should take. Responsibility for the relevant policy is divided among various ministries, and there is no cohesive overview of the trial projects and initiatives undertaken to date. The interests of the individual seem not to have been taken into account, even though it is the man in the street who may soon be required to produce digital identification on demand.  

In its 'Digital identification' project, completed in 2003, the Rathenau Institute established which government departments were involved in the development of digital identification, the projects already completed or ongoing, and the relationships between those projects. Attention was devoted to the introduction of biometric identification cards and passports, the protection of personal information, and the reliability and security of digital identification methods.