Technology Landscape for Digital Identification
Robust, inclusive, and responsible identification systems can increase access to finance, healthcare, education, and other critical services and benefits. Identification systems are also key to improving efficiency and enabling innovation for publi...
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/199411519691370495/Technology-Landscape-for-Digital-Identification http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31825 |
| Summary: | Robust, inclusive, and responsible
identification systems can increase access to finance,
healthcare, education, and other critical services and
benefits. Identification systems are also key to improving
efficiency and enabling innovation for public- and
private-sector services, such as greater efficiency in the
delivery of social safety nets and facilitating the
development of digital economies. However, the World Bank
estimates that more than 1.1 billion individuals do not have
official proof of their identity. New technologies provide
countries with the opportunity to leapfrog paper-based
systems and rapidly establish a robust identification
infrastructure. As a result, the countries are increasingly
adopting nationwide digital identification (ID) programs and
leveraging them in other sectors. Whether a country is
enhancing existing ID systems or implementing new systems
from the ground up, technology choices are critical to the
success of digital identification systems. A number of new
technologies are emerging to enable various aspects of ID
lifecycle. For some of these technologies, no large-scale
studies have been done; for others, current speculation
makes objective evaluations difficult. This report is a
first attempt to develop a comprehensive overview of the
current technology landscape for digital identification. It
is intended to serve as a framework for understanding the
myriad options and considerations of technology in this
rapidly advancing agenda and in no way is intended to
provide advice on specific technologies, particularly given
there are a number of other considerations and country
contexts which need to be considered. This report also does
not advocate the use of a certain technology from a
particular vendor for any particular application. While some
technologies are relatively easy to use and affordable,
others are costly or so complex that using them on a large
scale presents daunting challenges. This report provides
practitioners with an overview of various technologies and
advancements that are especially relevant for digital
identification systems. It highlights key benefits and
challenges associated with each technology. It also provides
a framework for assessing each technology on multiple
criteria, including length of time it has been in use, its
ease of integration with legacy and future systems, and its
interoperability with other technologies. The practitioners
and stakeholders who read this are reminded to bear in mind
that the technologies associated with ID systems are rapidly
evolving, and that this report, prepared in early 2018, is a
snapshot in time. |
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