Israel’s National Cyber Directorate has published a draft national digital identification strategy, according to the technology outlet ID Tech. Under the plan, banks, insurers, health providers and communications companies would gradually be able to confirm a customer’s identity through the government identification system, without running their own checks or collecting a photograph of an ID card.
The draft says private-company accounts would stay separate, and that the government would not see activity inside them; the national system would only verify who a person is. Participation would be voluntary and introduced in stages, judged on public benefit, the risk level of the service and a firm’s ability to meet technical and legal conditions. ID Tech reports that the system would not replace full know-your-customer procedures but would strengthen onboarding and other sensitive checks.
The strategy also proposes a national wallet holding state-issued certificates, licences and permits, which residents could show from their phones, including at in-person counters. Physical documents would still be issued, and the draft calls for “selective disclosure”, so that someone could prove eligibility without revealing a whole credential. Giving digital ID cards the same legal standing as physical ones would need changes to the law.
According to the report, about 5.5 million people are already registered with the government system, and public comments close on 30 November. The directorate argues that firms holding copies of ID cards, sometimes with weak protection, create risks of leaks and impersonation. A separate five-year implementation plan, and the fees model, are still to be drawn up.
Reporting note: this account relies on a single outlet, ID Tech, which cites the directorate’s draft and Israel Defense. We have not read the draft itself, and it is a consultation document that may change.
Photo: Ynhockey / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
