Pauline Audinet (M15): ‘The European Digital Identity Wallet is an Unprecedented Project’

An expert in prospection and innovation at Onepoint, Pauline Audinet (M15) works in particular on European sovereignty issues, and more precisely on the European Digital Identity Wallet (EDIW). We take a closer look. 

ESSEC Alumni: What will the EDIW consist in? 

Pauline Audinet: The EDIWW stems from the eIDAS 2 regulation on the digital identity of each citizen of the European Union. It offers the possibility, via a mobile application developed by each Member State, to dematerialise one’s identity card with the same level of certification as the physical card. In France; the application in question will be called France Identité, and will be brought into compliance by December 2026. 

EA: How does the EDIW work, in practical terms? 

P. Audinet: We describe it as the sharing of attributes (data) and not a document in its own right. In other words, instead of sharing all the elements of your ID card or social security card, the EDIW will allow you to share only certain relevant attributes for a given situation, such as your age, name, nationality or driving licence expiry date, and only when such information is required and with your explicit consent.

EA: Could you give us some practical examples? 

P. Audinet: With time, you will be able, for example, to present the EDIW to open an online bank account rapidly, share a medical prescription with a chemist or health records with a doctor, electronically sign a contract or proxy for a legal entity, or use a single ID password for all your user accounts for public services, as well as 12 regulated sectors (banking, energy, telecommunications, education or health, etc.) and platforms with more than 45 million users. 

EA: Which technology and identification methods will it be based on? 

P. Audinet: The aim behind the eIDAS 2 regulation is to design a system with various public and private stakeholders to ensure security, confidentiality and the interoperability of personal data on an EU scale. The EDIW draws on advanced forms of technology such as cryptographic keys for encryption, biometrics for authentication, and blockchain to facilitate decentralised verification.

EA: What guarantees will the EDIW provide in relation to current solutions? 

P. Audinet: The EDIW provides additional guarantees against online identity theft. In fact, the veracity of its instant verification on the ANTS register (in France) secures authentication. With hindsight, countries with robust and widely adopted digital identity systems, such as Sweden with its BankID system or Estonia with its electronic identity system, demonstrate relatively low levels of online fraud compared to other EU countries. Safeguards and recovery methods must nevertheless be designed by each State, particularly in the event of smartphone theft. 

EA: While the current dispersion of identification solutions raises issues of use and verification, would their centralisation in a single digital wallet not expose citizens further, in the event of a breach? 

P. Audinet: According to eIDAS 2 regulation, people’s personal data will be stored for the most part in identity repositories (ANTS in France) and not directly in the wallet. In other words, data will not be centralised, but stored on national servers or individual digital identity systems for each Member State, while ensuring their interoperability on a European level. The risks will thus be very limited, even if the EDIW is not completely invulnerable.

EA: What about security use risks? How would the EDIW be used on a police or justice level?

P. Audinet: On a police level, the EDIW will facilitate rapid identification during ID checks, simply via the person’s smartphone. At the judicial level, it will enable professionals to prove the identity of parties in legal proceedings and facilitate administrative procedures, in particular the electronic signing of legal documents such as contracts, notarial deeds or sworn declarations. 

EA: Does the EDIW not offer a powerful means of surveillance in a context of rising extremism? 

P. Audinet: Contrary to science fiction scenarios, it is highly unlikely that the wallet will be used to monitor people’s behaviour, travel or opinions. eIDAS 2 regulation provides for the implementation of strict safeguards to prevent misuse and limit abusive political use of this technology. The principles of transparency, informed consent and personal data protection are inherent aspects of the system design. However, we will have to ensure that these principles are respected at all times, because the risks of use for population control evidently exist to a certain degree. For example, if used to regulate physical travel, the EDIW could become the travel permit for the next pandemic!

EA: What are the next key steps for the project?

P. Audinet: December 2026 will see the obligation for each Member State to make the wallet available and usable in at least one administrative service. The following milestone is set for December 2027 for businesses in the 12 regulated sectors and platforms of over 45 million users, who will have to offer the EDIW as a strong authentication option.

EA: Is the EDIW one of a kind? Or are there other similar solutions around the world? 

P. Audinet: Other devices do exist, such as ID4Africa, the GANMI (Global Alliance for National Mobile Identities), or CLARCIEV (Cross-border Legal and Regulatory Cooperation for Identity Verification), which already offered a cross-border framework for identification in the EU prior to eIDAS regulation. The EDIW is a first however, in terms of security level and the number of citizens involved, at least in the democratic world, because similar initiatives in Russia (ESIA), China (Digital Identity for Alipay and WeChat) and Iran (Unified Loggin) are designed more for surveillance purposes.

Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser (E10), Content Manager at ESSEC Alumni

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Image : © Naura Houguenade