THE MARK OF THE BEAST (MOB) UPDATE:   

AS EIDAS 2.0 TAKES EFFECT, EU FACES ‘PARADIGM SHIFT FOR DIGITAL IDENTITY IN EUROPE’

MEMBER STATES MUST HAVE EUDI WALLETS WORKING AND FREELY AVAILABLE BY 2026

May 7, 2024, Biometric Update

With THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL’S RECENT ADOPTION OF A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR A EUROPEAN DIGITAL IDENTITY, THE PATH TO THE EU DIGITAL IDENTITY (EUDI) WALLET AND A FULLY DIGITIZED EUROPE IS OPEN. THE REVISED DIGITAL IDENTITY REGULATION (EIDAS 2.0) HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND WILL ENTER INTO FORCE ON MAY 20, 2024, MEANING A SLEW OF DIGITAL ID PROJECTS CAN MOVE FORWARD INTO REALIZATION. A release from Generalitat de Catalunya calls the EUDI Wallet initiative a “key step forward for the European Union,” which will give users greater autonomy over their personal data and ENSURE NATIONAL DIGITAL IDS ARE CREATED WITH STANDARDIZED TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS. APPLICATIONS RANGE FROM AGE VERIFICATION SAFEGUARDS TO ACCESSING GOVERNMENT SERVICES.

“THE REVISED REGULATION REPRESENTS A CLEAR PARADIGM SHIFT FOR DIGITAL IDENTITY IN EUROPE,” says the Generalitat. “It seeks to GUARANTEE THAT INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES ACROSS EUROPE HAVE UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO SECURE AND RELIABLE ELECTRONIC IDENTIFICATION AND AUTHENTICATION.”

While not everything will kick smoothly into gear right away, deadlines have been set. MEMBER STATES MUST MAKE A NATIONAL DIGITAL IDENTITY WALLET AVAILABLE TO CITIZENS BY 2026. THESE WILL BE RECOGNIZED ACROSS MEMBER STATES. Wallets will be optional and opt-in, which mechanisms in place to prevent discrimination against those who choose not to use them. Issuance, use and revocation will be free. The system software will be open source, with some leeway for individual states to withhold certain information with reasonable justification.

MEMBER STATES ARE OBLIGED TO PROVIDE FREE VALIDATION MECHANISMS ONLY TO VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY AND VALIDITY OF THE WALLET AND THE IDENTITY OF THE RELYING PARTIES

Per the release, the revised regulation also “clarifies the scope of qualified website authentication certificates, which make sure that users can verify who is behind a website while preserving current, well-established industry security norms and standards.”

‘Alternative means of online age assurance will still be required’

The EU Digital Identity Wallet will be a win for the age verification ecosystem – but not, according to the organization behind euConsent, a silver bullet. In a LinkedIn post, controlling non-profit euConsent ASPL says that while the EUDIW program will provide “a great source of authoritative age data for use in online age assurance processes,” usability could be a problem at first, “as the process to disclose an age attribute to each website separately will be too complex to be convenient.”

The organization says that, with the EU code of conduct for age appropriate design due to be developed as part of the Better Internet For Kids+ strategy, “an alternative means of online age assurance will still be required for children too young to have their own EUDI wallet, including many seeking to prove they are old enough (13-16) to give consent to share personal data under Article 8 GDPR without parental consent.”

Large-scale pilot projects to stay on established flight path

While several milestones are now in the rearview, THE EUDI WALLET PROJECT STILL HAS A WAYS TO GO UNTIL COMPLETION. According to research from the Internet Identity Workshop’s Kristina Yasuda, Paul Bastian and Torsten Lodderstedt, the four large-scale EUDIW pilot projects are slated to continue through 2025. Work continues on prototypes to support implementation of the eIDAS regulation. Common public use of the EUDI wallets is unlikely before mid-2026.

Still, the gate is now open, and A UNIFIED EUROPEAN DIGITAL IDENTITY WILL SOON BE A REALITY.

EUROPE GRAPPLES WITH THE BEST WAY TO IMPLEMENT DIGITAL IDENTITY. THE STRONGEST VERIFICATION METHOD – CRYPTOGRAPHIC VERIFICATION METHOD USING QR CODES.

THE SYSTEM EMPLOYS FACE BIOMETRICS BY MATCHING THE USERS’ FACIAL IMAGES AGAINST A GOVERNMENT DATABASE.

May 15, 2024 Biometric Update

As EUROPEAN NATIONS PUSH FORWARD ON IMPLEMENTING A SECURE DIGITAL IDENTITY WALLET SCHEME, approaches and results vary. A blog from Spherical Cow Consulting dives into the EU Digital Identity Architecture Reference Framework (ARF), described as “an outline that provides the first blush of a FRAMEWORK FOR HOW DIGITAL WALLETS WILL WORK IN THE EU.” A case study from Poland explores how not to implement a national digital ID system. And Hungary is on the cusp of its digital identity launch.

EUDI WALLET ARF OUTLINES INTEGRATION POINTS WITH EXTERNAL ENTITIES

The EUDI Wallet, says Spherical Cow Principal Heather Flanagan, “needs to be able to do a variety of things. From THE ABILITY TO PERFORM ELECTRONIC IDENTIFICATION, STORE AND MANAGE QUALIFIED AND NON-QUALIFIED ELECTRONIC ATTESTATIONS OF ATTRIBUTES, AND PROVIDE MUTUAL AUTHENTICATION CAPABILITIES, this isn’t something you want to get wrong.”

Flanagan says the ARF outline includes guidance on security, privacy by design, and user control over personal data. “HAVING A PRESENCE IN THE EU AND A RELIANCE ON GOVERNMENT-ISSUED CREDENTIALS MEANS PLAYING IN THE DIGITAL WALLET AND VERIFIABLE CREDENTIAL LANDSCAPE,” she writes. “The ARF puts the framework in a context that will help you comply with the appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks while providing a secure and user-friendly experience.”

The framework will also provide guidance on “various interfaces and integration points” for the EUDI Wallet with external entities such as member state infrastructures, identity cards and trusted registries.

BREAKDOWN OF POLISH DIGITAL ID SCHEME DISCOURAGES VISUAL VERIFICATION

Speaking about the Polish digital identity scheme Szymon Chadam, an IT and security consultant with SecuRing, breaks down the risks associated with improper identity verification. His case study, delivered to the Swiss cybersecurity conference Insomni’hack, covers scenarios such as HEALTH CLINICS, AIR TRAVEL, REGISTERING FOR TELECOM SIM CARDS, AND BANKING. His research finds that 75 percent of high-risk organizations do not use what he defines as the strongest verification method – cryptographic verification method using QR codes, which Poland’s mCitizen ID system offers.

The big takeaways? Prioritize security. Test for effectiveness. And “never verify visually!”

Hungary begins biometric digital ID rollout

Beginning on May 18, citizens of Hungary can begin applying for a digital ID. Daily News Hungary reports that the National Digital Citizenship Programme’s mobile-based digital identity for Hungarians will offer digital versions of ID and government documents, a digital mailbox, document storage and electronic signature, and electronic payments. THE SYSTEM EMPLOYS FACE BIOMETRICS BY MATCHING THE USERS’ FACIAL IMAGES AGAINST A GOVERNMENT DATABASE.

In His Service,

Night Watchman

Paul Rolland

Night Watchman Ministries

www.nightwatchman.blog

https://nightwatchmanministries.substack.com

Make Your (7) Decision for Christ NOW!!!!!!! Time is Up!!!!!!!

Jesus Christ’s Offer of Salvation:

The ABCs (7) of Salvation through Jesus Christ (the Lamb)

1. (7) Admit/Acknowledge/Accept that you are sinner. Ask (7) God’s forgiveness and repent of your sins.

. . . “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).

. . . “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10).

. . . “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8).

B. Believe Jesus is Lord. Believe that (7) Jesus Christ is who He claimed to (7) be; that He was both fully God (7) and fully man and that we are (7) saved through His death, burial, and resurrection. (7) Put your trust in Him as your (7) only hope of salvation. Become a son (7) or daughter of God by receiving Christ. (7777777) 7×7

. . . “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:15-17). For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).

C. Call upon His name, Confess (7) with your heart and with your lips (7) that Jesus is your Lord and Savior.

. . . “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10).