**Data Deluge: Lack of identity protection measures putting UK users at risk**

**Just 27% are actively trying to reduce the amount of personal information they share online**

[Our research and "Evolution of Digital Identity Report"](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Digidentity_Evolution_of_Identity_def_c8c8a61bd0.pdf) highlights the increasing importance of digital identity security in people's lives. 
The report reveals that 84% of people in the UK are worried about the amount of data they have shared online and wish to reduce it. However, only 27% are actively taking steps to do so. In fact, just 37% of people have implemented multi-factor authentication, such as biometric or fingerprint scans, to manage their online accounts. 

Compared to other age groups, Generation Z has done the least to protect their data, despite 76% of 16–24-year-olds agreeing they are worried about how much of their identity is already on the internet and wish they could reduce it. Just 22% of this generation are actively taking steps to protect their online identity, compared to 30% in the 55+ category. 

Despite the lack of action, the report also revealed people are noticeably concerned about the future of digital identities. Nearly three-quarters (74%) agree that losing their phone feels like losing their identity, and 67% agree that losing access to their phone is devastating, whereas having a house key stolen is easily remedied. Yet at the same time, the vast majority (93%) agree that they would like their children or future children to not have to provide so much of their personal information online. 

While the report shows huge amounts of personal data now resides online, digital identity solutions are yet to catch up. Respondents shared that the majority of identity authentication they have experienced is still paper based (56%), such as birth certificates, driving licences and passports etc. While the EU’s Digital Identity Wallets could be a solution to many identity check problems, just 15% of people in the UK currently report using them, and only 10% expect these to become the predominant method for identifying themselves in the future. 

**[Download our full report](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Digidentity_Evolution_of_Identity_def_c8c8a61bd0.pdf) to read more about how people in the UK views digital identity.**

[![Digidentity-Evolution-of-Identity-v4-Page-1.png](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Digidentity_Evolution_of_Identity_v4_Page_1_87656b26f2.png)](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Digidentity_Evolution_of_Identity_def_c8c8a61bd0.pdf)

**Zorgen door gebrek aan identiteitsbeschermingsmaatregelen**

**Slechts 23% probeert actief de hoeveelheid persoonsgegevens die ze online delen te verminderen.**

[Digidentity’s onderzoek "Evolution of Digital Identity"](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Digidentity_Evolution_of_Identity_def_c8c8a61bd0.pdf) benadrukt het toenemende belang van digitale identiteitsbeveiliging. Uit het onderzoek komt naar voren dat 77% van de Nederlanders zich zorgen maakt over de hoeveelheid persoonsgegevens die ze online hebben gedeeld en dit zou willen verminderen. 23% van de respondenten blijkt al actief stappen te ondernemen om ook daadwerkelijk het online delen van persoonsgegevens te verminderen. In het dagelijks gebruik zegt echter slechts 27% van de ondervraagden multifactorauthenticatie, zoals biometrische of vingerafdrukscans te gebruiken om online accounts te beheren. 

Vergeleken met andere leeftijdsgroepen doet Generatie Z het minst om hun gegevens te beschermen. Terwijl 71% van de 16-24-jarigen zich zorgen maakt over hoeveel van hun identiteit al op het internet staat en wenst dat ze dit kunnen verminderen, neemt slechts een kleine 16% van deze generatie actief stappen om hun online identiteit te beschermen. Dit in vergelijking met 55 plussers waarvan 27% stappen neemt.  

Ondanks het gebrek aan zelf ondernomen acties, blijkt wel dat Nederlanders zich zorgen maken over de toekomst van digitale identiteiten. De overgrote meerderheid (87%) wenst dat kinderen of toekomstige kinderen niet zoveel van hun persoonsinformatie online hoeven te verstrekken. In het onderzoek geeft bijna driekwart (62%) van de ondervraagden aan dat het verliezen van hun telefoon hetzelfde voelt als het verliezen van hun identiteit. En 67% is het ermee eens dat het verliezen van de toegang tot hun telefoon dramatisch is, terwijl een gestolen huissleutel als ‘gemakkelijk te verhelpen’ wordt ervaren.  

Hoewel het "Evolution of Digital Identity Report" laat zien dat enorme hoeveelheden persoonsgegevens zich nu online bevinden, moeten digitale identiteitsoplossingen de achterstand nog inlopen. Respondenten deelden dat het merendeel van de identiteitsverificatie die ze ervaren nog steeds op papier is gebaseerd (66%). Denk hierbij aan geboorteakten, rijbewijzen en paspoorten enz. Vanaf 2025 kunnen Nederlanders beschikken over (tenminste) één id-wallet die door de Nederlandse overheid is erkend. Maar terwijl zo’n Europese id-wallet een oplossing kan zijn, is het gebruik van dit soort wallets nog nauwelijks ingeburgerd. Slechts 14% van de mensen in Nederland gebruikt op dit moment een wallet en eveneens 14% verwacht dat de id-wallet in de toekomst de belangrijkste identificatiemethode wordt. 

**[Download het volledige onderzoek](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Digidentity_Evolution_of_Identity_def_c8c8a61bd0.pdf) om meer te lezen.**

[![Digidentity-Evolution-of-Identity-v4-Page-1.png](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Digidentity_Evolution_of_Identity_v4_Page_1_87656b26f2.png)](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Digidentity_Evolution_of_Identity_def_c8c8a61bd0.pdf)

Zorgen door gebrek aan identiteits-beschermings-maatregelen

Data Deluge: Lack of identity protection measures putting UK users at risk 

It is important to be vigilant about digital fraud, especially in a time when fraudulent practices are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Currently, fraudulent emails are circulating that misuse the trust bound to eHerkenning. 

The email describes that you need to upgrade your eHerkenning product to a higher level of assurance, eHerkenning level 4. These emails are an attempt at phishing. Do not comply with the request, do not click on the links, and delete the email immediately.

**What is phishing?**
Phishing is a form of digital deception where fraudsters attempt to obtain valuable personal information through false information, such as emails, SMS messages, or WhatsApp messages. These messages often appear to come from familiar and trusted organisations, such as government agencies and banks, to gain the recipient's trust.

**How do you recognise phishing emails?**
Check the sender's address, paying particular attention to what comes after the @ sign. Digidentity only sends messages from noreply@digidentity.eu or helpdesk@digidentity.com. Emails from other senders can be deleted immediately.

Legitimate organisations will often use your name in the greeting of official emails. Be wary if you see generic terms like "Dear Sir/Madam" or "Dear Customer".

False messages often contain requests to verify, update, or supplement your personal or login information. Never click on the accompanying link or suspicious attachments.

Be skeptical of emails that pressure you with warnings of imminent actions or urgent messages.
    
    
  
If you are unsure whether Digidentity is requesting certain information from you, feel free to contact [our customer service](https://www.digidentity.eu/get-in-touch) or check the [eHerkenning website](https://www.eherkenning.nl/en/news) for messages regarding eHerkenning. Stay vigilant and remain in control of your data.

Het is belangrijk om alert te zijn op digitale oplichting, vooral in een tijd waarin frauduleuze praktijken steeds geavanceerder worden. Momenteel circuleren er frauduleuze e-mails die de naam van eHerkenning misbruiken.  

In de email staat beschreven dat u uw eHerkenning product moet upgraden naar een hoger betrouwbaarheidsniveau, eHerkenning niveau 4. Deze e-mails zijn een poging tot phishing. Ga niet in op het verzoek, klik niet op de links en verwijder de email direct. 

 

**Wat is phishing?**

Phishing is een vorm van digitale oplichting waarbij fraudeurs proberen om via valse informatie, zoals e-mails, SMS'jes of WhatsApp-berichten, waardevolle persoonlijke informatie te verkrijgen. Deze berichten lijken vaak afkomstig te zijn van bekende en vertrouwde organisaties, zoals overheidsinstanties en banken, om het vertrouwen van de ontvanger te winnen. 

 

**Hoe herkent u phising emails?**

Controleer het adres van de afzender, let vooral op wat er achter het @-teken staat. Digidentity verstuurt enkel berichten vanuit noreply@digidentity.eu of helpdesk@digidentity.com. Emails afkomstig van andere afzenders kunt u direct verwijderen. 

Legitieme organisaties waar u zaken mee doet, zullen vaak uw naam gebruiken in de aanhef. Wees op uw hoede als u algemene termen zoals "geachte heer/mevrouw" of "Beste klant" ziet. 

Valse berichten bevatten vaak verzoeken om uw persoonlijke of inloggegevens te controleren, bij te werken of aan te vullen. Klik nooit zomaar op de bijbehorende link of verdachte bijlages.  

Wees sceptisch over e-mails die druk uitoefenen met meldingen van laatste waarschuwingen of spoedeisende berichten.  
  
  \
Mocht u twijfelen of Digidentity bepaalde gegevens bij u opvraagt, neem gerust contact op met [onze klantenservice](https://www.digidentity.eu/nl/get-in-touch) of controleer de website van [eHerkenning](https://www.eherkenning.nl/nl/nieuws#frauduleuze-eherkenning-emails-in-omloop) voor berichten rondom eHerkenning. Wees alert en blijf in controle van uw gegevens.

Waarschuwing: fraudeleuze eHerkenning emails in omloop 

Warning: fraudulent eHerkenning emails in circulation

**Transition to Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk as the old portal closes** 
  
As of July 1, 2024, the previous portal for entrepreneurs at the Dutch Tax Administration will be permanently closed. In addition, the EU VAT One Stop Shop will also close. For users of these portals, it’s important to make the switch to the Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk portal to manage your tax affairs by [using eHerkenning](https://www.digidentity.eu/eherkenning-TRR/foreign-companies).  
Digidentity is the only eHerkenning supplier that is allowed to offer complete online and remote onboarding and identity verification. Our registration is the fastest available on the market, there is no need for you to pay extra to fast-track your application.   
  
**eHerkenning Access for Entities Without Chamber of Commerce (KVK) Number** 
  
Entities or organisations not registered with the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (KVK) can now [apply for eHerkenning](https://www.digidentity.eu/eherkenning-TRR/foreign-companies). With eHerkenning without KVK number, access is limited to the Netherlands Tax Administration's systems.  
  
eHerkenning benefits legal entities such as:  
-Sole proprietors
-Partnerships
-Associations with limited legal capacity
-Religious organisations

Additionally, it extends to entities unable to register with the KVK, including:  
-Cooperation agreements
-European companies (Societas Europaea)
-European economic interest groups
-Foreign legal entities
-Fiscal unities for VAT purposes
-Mutual funds 
  
For further details on Digidentity’s easy access and application procedure for eHerkenning, please visit [eHerkenning without KVK](https://www.digidentity.eu/eherkenning-TRR/foreign-companies). 

**Het oude portaal sluit, zo krijgt u toegang tot Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk**

Met ingang van 1 juli 2024 wordt het vorige portaal voor ondernemers bij de Nederlandse belastingdienst permanent gesloten. Bovendien zal ook de EU VAT One Stop Shop sluiten. Het is belangrijk dat gebruikers van deze portalen overstappen naar het Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk portaal om belastingzaken te beheren met [eHerkenning](https://www.digidentity.eu/nl/eherkenning-TRR/foreign-companies).


Digidentity is de enige eHerkenning leverancier die de registratie inclusief identiteitsverificatie online en op afstand mag aanbieden. Onze registratie is de snelste op de markt, daarom betaalt u bij ons geen extra kosten voor spoedaanvragen.

**Toegang met eHerkenning voor entiteiten zonder KVK-nummer**
Entiteiten of organisaties die niet zijn geregistreerd bij de Kamer van Koophandel (KVK) kunnen nu [eHerkenning aanvragen](https://www.digidentity.eu/nl/eherkenning-TRR/foreign-companies). eHerkenning zonder KVK-nummer geeft enkel toegang tot de systemen van de Nederlandse Belastingdienst. 

eHerkenning biedt voordelen voor rechtspersonen zoals:
  
  
-Eenmanszaken
-Maatschappen
-Verenigingen met beperkte rechtsbevoegdheid
-Religieuze organisaties

Daarnaast is eHerkenning zonder KVK-nummer ook voor entiteiten die zich niet kunnen registeren bij de Kamer van Koophandel, waaronder:
  
  
-Samenwerkingsverbanden
-Europese vennootschappen (Societas Europaea)
-Europese economische samenwerkingenverbanden
-Buitenlandse rechtspersonen
-Fiscale eenheden voor btw-doeleinden
-Beleggingsfondsen

Voor meer informatie over Digidentity's eenvoudige aanvraagprocedure voor eHerkenning, bezoek [deze pagina](https://www.digidentity.eu/nl/eherkenning-TRR/foreign-companies).

eHerkenning voor organisaties zonder Kamer van Koophandel

eHerkenning for organisations without Chamber of Commerce at Digidentity

eHerkenning without KVK | Digidentity

eHerkenning for organisations without Chamber of Commerce

More than one million users now have an eHerkenning account. With eHerkenning, businesses and organisations securely and reliably access sensitive information exchanges with (government) service providers. eHerkenning, a public-private partnership, plays a crucial role in the Digital Landscape of the Dutch government. 

### Secure and Reliable

eHerkenning originated 13 years ago with the goal of providing digital identities to businesses and organisations. An initiative of the Dutch government, it has continuously evolved in collaboration with the private sector. Representatives from service providers, users, and suppliers make decisions regarding the ongoing development of eHerkenning and the strict requirements it must meet. 

Over the years, eHerkenning has become an increasingly secure and reliable authentication method, available in various levels of assurance. The higher the level, the more secure and reliable the access. This ensures that service providers have greater certainty about whom they are dealing with online when exchanging sensitive information, such as financial and personal data. 

### Successful Public-Private Partnership

eHerkenning is constantly evolving to meet users' needs. New functionalities are added, and existing features are optimised to ensure that the authentication method is accessible to everyone. In 2010, the first eHerkenning account was sold, and now eHerkenning has become a European-recognised authentication method. Every day, eHerkenning is used for over 75,000 logins, facilitating transactions with provinces, water authorities, and for the application of certain permits and subsidies. The milestone of one million eHerkenning users demonstrates the successful combination of efficiency and innovation through a public-private partnership. 

### Easy and fast registration for eHerkenning

eHerkenning from Digidentity is the easy way to safely interact with over 550 government and private organisations no matter where you are. Our registration process is completely remote and the fastest available so there is no need for you to pay extra to fast-track your application. [Register now here.](https://www.digidentity.eu/services/digital-identity/eherkenning)

Talk with our experts

Want to learn more?

Meer dan één miljoen gebruikers hebben een eHerkenning-account. Met eHerkenning hebben bedrijven en organisaties veilig en betrouwbaar toegang om gevoelige informatie uit te wisselen met (overheids)dienstverleners. eHerkenning – een publiek-private samenwerking – speelt hiermee een belangrijke rol binnen de Digitale Overheid.  

### Veilig en betrouwbaar

eHerkenning is 13 jaar geleden ontstaan vanuit de wens om ook bedrijven en organisaties een digitale identiteit te geven. Een initiatief van de Rijksoverheid en continu in ontwikkeling in samenwerking met het bedrijfsleven. Vertegenwoordigers van dienstverleners, gebruikers en leveranciers nemen besluiten over de doorontwikkeling van eHerkenning en de strenge eisen waaraan het moet voldoen. Door de jaren heen is eHerkenning uitgegroeid tot een steeds veiliger en betrouwbaarder inlogmiddel, verkrijgbaar in verschillende betrouwbaarheidsniveaus. Hoe hoger het betrouwbaarheidsniveau, hoe veiliger en betrouwbaarder de toegang. Zo heeft een dienstverlener meer zekerheid over met wie hij online zaken doet, aangezien men gevoelige informatie uitwisselt, zoals financiële en persoonlijke gegevens.  

### Succesvolle publiek-private samenwerking

eHerkenning ontwikkelt zich continu om gebruikers te voorzien in hun behoeften. Zo worden nieuwe functionaliteiten toegevoegd en bestaande functies geoptimaliseerd om ervoor te zorgen dat het inlogmiddel door iedereen kan worden gebruikt. In 2010 werd het eerste inlogmiddel verkocht en inmiddels is eHerkenning uitgegroeid tot een Europees erkend inlogmiddel. Per dag wordt er meer dan 75.000 keer ingelogd met eHerkenning, bijvoorbeeld om zaken te regelen met provincies en waterschappen. Of voor het aanvragen van bepaalde vergunningen en subsidies. De mijlpaal van één miljoen eHerkenning-gebruikers laat zien dat efficiëntie en innovatie door middel van een publiek-private samenwerking goed samengaan. 

### Eenvoudig en snel eHerkenning regelen

eHerkenning van Digidentity is de eenvoudige manier om veilig in contact te komen met meer dan 550 overheids- en particuliere organisaties, waar u ook bent. Ons registratieproces is volledig op afstand te voltooien en het snelste op de markt. Zonder verborgen kosten of fysieke identificatie. [Registreer nu.](https://www.digidentity.eu/nl/services/digital-identity/eherkenning)

Ruim één miljoen gebruikers eHerkenning  

End-of-Support IOS 14

Healthcare’s identity crisis: How recruitment delays are exacerbating staff shortages in UK healthcare

You might also like:

More than one million eHerkenning users 

Due to security considerations, the Digidentity Wallet will discontinue support for iOS 14 as of January 22. This decision has been made because Apple no longer releases security updates for this version of iOS.  

The minimum required iOS version for the Digidentity Wallet will be raised to iOS 15. 

**Key Points:**

**1. iOS 14 End-of-Support:** As of 22 January, the Digidentity Wallet will no longer support devices running iOS 14. Users currently utilizing iOS 14 are encouraged to upgrade their devices to iOS 15 or higher versions to continue enjoying uninterrupted access to the Digidentity Wallet 

**2. Minimum Requirement Update:**  The minimum required iOS version for the Digidentity Wallet will be iOS 15.

Our dedicated support team is available to assist users during this transition. For any questions or assistance, users can contact our support team (helpdesk@digidentity.co.uk). 

Om veiligheidsredenen zal de Digidentity Wallet vanaf 22 januari geen ondersteuning meer bieden voor iOS 14. Dit besluit is genomen omdat Apple geen beveiligingsupdates meer uitbrengt voor deze versie van iOS.  

De minimale vereiste iOS versie voor de Digidentity Wallet wordt verhoogd naar iOS 15. 

**Belangrijke punten:**

**1. Einde van de ondersteuning voor iOS 14:** Vanaf 22 januari zal de Digidentity Wallet geen ondersteuning meer bieden voor apparaten met iOS 14. Gebruikers die momenteel iOS 14 gebruiken, worden aangemoedigd hun apparaten bij te werken naar iOS 15 of nieuwere versies om ononderbroken toegang tot de Digidentity Wallet te behouden. 

**2. Update van minimale vereisten:** De minimaal vereiste iOS-versie voor de Digidentity Wallet wordt iOS 15.  

Onze service desk staat klaar om gebruikers te helpen tijdens deze overgang. Voor vragen of hulp kunnen gebruikers contact opnemen via helpdesk@digidentity.eu. 

Einde ondersteuning voor iOS 14 

[![Healthcare's identity crisis.png](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Screenshot_2023_12_06_at_13_58_58_010e01df9d.png)](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/09519003_Digidentity_Design_report_v1_3_4079aef278.pdf)
Digidentity’s latest report sheds light on a critical issue plaguing the healthcare sector: recruitment delays. According to our findings, individual UK healthcare organisations are losing a staggering £544,000 per year due to these delays, impacting both staff morale and patient care. 

The research reveals that while 74% of healthcare decision-makers see technology as the solution for faster recruiting, only 2% currently utilise digital tools. At Digidentity, we believe it's time for a transformative change. 

Our Country Manager, Jonathan Evans, emphasises the urgency of addressing delays, stating, "New identity verification systems are essential for streamlining the recruitment process and improving healthcare services and patient care." 

In the report you will find key findings, expert opinions and how Digidentity tackles these healthcare issues head on. [Read the full report here.](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/09519003_Digidentity_Design_report_v1_3_4079aef278.pdf)

Healthcare’s identity crisis: How recruitment delays are exacerbating staff shortages in UK healthcare.  

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital identity, Digidentity now launched the Digidentity Wallet. To shed some light on this groundbreaking innovation, we sat down with some key persons that worked on the Digidentity Wallet through the past few years. Meet Marco, Lex & Monica. 

**As technology evolves, how do you envision the role of digital wallets changing in the future?**
Head of Product Management, Marco acknowledges that, as technology continues to advance, the role of digital wallets is poised for significant transformation. ‘’Just like money, personal data's value is generally recognised, demanding protection and rightful owner authorization for transactions. Everyday routines like age verification will demand more privacy, eliminating the need to share entire ID documents. Digital wallets are meant to become secure vaults for verifiable credentials. This evolution ensures that your data remains in your control, safeguarded, and used only with your consent.’’ 

‘’In my opinion, in a few years, digital wallets will become the norm among companies and among consumers. Once the European e-wallet project will be rolled out, we are going to see how our physical identity documents will be replaced by digital identity documents, stored in an electronic highly secured wallet.’’, Monica, Product Owner highlights.  

Digidentity’s Head Product Designer Lex Postma shares his insights as well, ‘’Digital wallets will be the future of identifying yourself with others. The bartender only needs to know it’s really you and that you’re 18+, not when and where you were born. You simply share the requested details without sharing too much.’’. The future envisions digital wallets as the go-to method for identity verification.  Users will have the power to share specific information without compromising their privacy, revolutionising the way identity is established. 

**Are there any emerging trends or features that users can look forward to in upcoming updates of the Digidentity Wallet?**
Our journey does not end here, there is a future ahead with exciting developments. Lex shares some in his answer, ‘’The cards in your Wallet will become more colourful and dynamic. Organisations will be able to customise the card of their employees. It will also become easier to recover access to your account if you lose your device, while keeping everything secure. Essentially, the technology will take a step a to the background. Smart cards have played a key role (pun intended) for years, and they remain an important technology for our platform, but the user doesn’t need to be confronted with how it all works.’’ 

Additionally, Marco adds some insight in an interesting trend that shows how digital wallets come together for one ecosystem. ‘’One notable trend is the focus on interoperability with other wallets, allowing users to seamlessly connect and manage their digital identities across various platforms. This means smoother and more convenient access to services. Another exciting feature on the horizon is the real-life integration of mobile driving licenses. Imagine having your driver's license securely stored within your Digidentity Wallet, accessible anytime on your mobile device. This innovation not only reduces the need for physical documents but also adds a layer of convenience to everyday activities like identification checks.’’ 

_'’The Digidentity Wallet is s mainly about allowing us to better integrate and provide a "real" digital wallet experience for our users. It is driven by the desire to have our customers use our digital wallet in the most seamless way possible.’’ - Monica_

Simplicity is at the heart of this launch. The digital identity landscape is rapidly evolving, and Digidentity Wallet is at the forefront of this transformation. With the new digital wallet and the promising trends on the horizon, the future looks bright for users seeking a secure, user-friendly, and cutting-edge digital identity solution. 

Digidentity Wallet: Changing the future of digital identity

![Dashboard_IndGuide_DigidentitySocial_1200x628_3a.jpg](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Dashboard_Ind_Guide_Digidentity_Social_1200x628_3a_7f717f4c90.jpg)

The PMI’s Dashboards Industry Guide 2023 explores the future of pensions management through the Pensions Dashboard Programme (PDP), an ambitious project aimed at consolidating an individual's accrued pension savings into a single online portal. 

This groundbreaking initiative, introduced by Economic Secretary Simon Kirby in 2016, is set to revolutionise how the public accesses pension benefit information. Despite facing substantial challenges in data cleansing and technological integration, the PDP's unwavering dedication is now bringing this colossal endeavor close to fruition. Leveraging state-of-the-art technology, the Pensions Dashboard promises to usher in a new era in UK pension provision, offering a solution to the complexities of today's evolving job landscape, particularly for millennials and zoomers who frequently change jobs and accumulate pension rights across multiple schemes. This innovative platform empowers individuals to effortlessly track their pension entitlements, compare savings, and make informed decisions, ensuring a secure and comfortable retirement. 

Come and be a part of this groundbreaking shift in pension management, guaranteeing a retirement as promising as your career aspirations. [Download the PMI Dashboards Industry Guide 2023 here.](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Dashboard_Industry_Guide_2023_29d51dcbc5.pdf)

The PMI’s Dashboards Industry Guide 2023

**Warning: fake emails circulating**
Currently fraudulent emails using eHerkenning are circulating.

**eHerkenning**
The email describes that as of September 20, 2023, all government service providers are only accessible with eHerkenning level 4. From October 1, 2023, automatic administration costs of € 129.95 will be charged if you have not submitted an application for EH4. Do not respond to this request, as it is an attempt to phishing. Therefore, do not click on the links and delete the email immediately.

**How to recognize phishing emails?**

Sender
Check the sender's address, paying particular attention to what comes after the @ sign. Digidentity only sends messages from noreply@digidentity.eu or helpdesk@digidentity.com. Emails from any other sender can be deleted immediately.

Links
Links in fake emails can install harmful software on your computer or lead you to fake websites. Therefore, never click on links in an email that you do not trust.

Uncertain?
If you are unsure about an email you have received, you can contact our Service Desk. If you have clicked on a link and entered login information, please [contact](https://www.digidentity.eu/get-in-touch) us immediately.

**Opgelet: valse e-mails in omloop**

Er zijn frauduleuze e-mails in omloop over eHerkenning.
\
**eHerkenning**
In de e-mail staat beschreven dat met ingang van 20 september 2023 alle overheidsdienstverleners alleen toegankelijk zijn met betrouwbaarheidsniveau 4. Vanaf 1 oktober 2023 worden automatisch administratiekosten van € 129,95 in rekening gebracht als u geen aanvraag voor EH4 heeft ingediend. 
Ga niet in op dit verzoek, want dit is een poging tot phishing. Klik dus niet op de links en verwijder de e-mail direct.

**Hoe herkent u deze phishing e-mails?**

Afzender
Controleer het adres van de afzender, let vooral op wat er achter het @-teken staat. Digidentity verstuurt enkel berichten vanuit noreply@digidentity.eu of helpdesk@digidentity.com. Emails afkomstig van andere afzenders kunt u direct verwijderen.

Links
Links in nepmails kunnen ervoor zorgen dat er schadelijke software op uw computer wordt geïnstalleerd of leiden u naar valse websites. Klik dus nooit zomaar op de links en een e-mail die u niet vertrouwt.

Twijfelt u?
Indien u twijfelt over een mail die u heeft ontvangen, dan kunt u contact opnemen met onze Service Desk. Heeft u op een link geklikt, en inloggegevens ingevuld? Neem dan direct [contact ](https://www.digidentity.eu/nl/get-in-touch)met ons op.

Opgelet: valse e-mails in omloop

Warning: fake emails circulating

**The transition from a digital smart card to a digital wallet is significant. What prompted this shift in focus, and what benefits does it offer to users?**
The shift from smart cards to digital wallets marks a powerful milestone for Digidentity and digital identity management. Marco, Head of Product Management, underlines the dedication to crafting a solution that meets the user’s needs, ‘’The shift from digital smart cards to digital wallets is the consequence of a natural evolution in technology, aligning with a long-term vision. The transition reflects a move from a two-factor authentication method, mainly utilised for approving remote logins, to a versatile tool for interacting with local devices. This transformation is propelled by the widespread use of mobile phones. These devices have become extensions of ourselves, carrying our data everywhere, ensuring it is accessible only to us. Digital wallets integrate seamlessly into this mobile-centric lifestyle, enhancing convenience and security.’’ 

Lex Postma, our Head Product Designer, continues, ‘’We know most users don't know what a smart card is, and they shouldn’t need to know. By moving these to the background, we can simply ask for a PIN code, and you are logged in to your digital wallet. This is a more common pattern that you also see in your banking app, where you enter your PIN to get in.’’ The transition might merely be a change in technology, but it is a profound shift in how users interact with their digital identities.

**Can you share some insights into the initial goals and ideas behind the creation of the Digidentity Wallet?**
Lex sheds light on what has brought this shift in focus, ‘’For me the goal was a simplified user experience while giving the app more meaning. Previously it only showed static smart card and you only interacted with push notifications to the app. Now we have really made the app more standalone, making the wallet with cards front and centre. We noticed many people would download the app, use it once and then delete it. It had no value to them. But you don’t do that with your banking app, right? With this release, we want to give the Digidentity app more value.’’ The transition from smart card to digital wallet is a transition steeped in enhancing customer experience and delivering more value. 

_"I’m proud of how we have pushed our tech-heavy app in a more user centric direction, going beyond simple lists of data to a really fluent stack of cards.’’ - Lex_

**Could you walk us through the thought process and challenges encountered during the rebranding and redesign process?**
‘’There are two significant drivers that have guided this process: regulations and user feedback.’’, Marco explains. ‘’Regulations have set the foundation for the wallet's security and compliance features. However, over time, user suggestions, opinions, and concerns have been carefully listened to and integrated into the wallet's design and functionalities. This iterative approach has resulted in a more intuitive and efficient user interface, addressing users' specific needs and pain points’’. 

‘’At the beginning, many people did not understand what a wallet was. We were pioneers in this field, our solution was complex and therefore we needed to deal with the challenge to help users understand. To overcome these challenges, we focused on simple explanations, helping users at every step, making our system super secure, and mixing new ideas with things people already knew. This way, we managed to give our brand a fresh look and make things easy for users, even though the path was a bit complicated.’’, Marco elaborates even further. 

**Can you share any specific instances where user feedback directly led to changes in the wallet’s design or functionality?**
Monica, our Product Owner, emphasizes the importance of user feedback, ‘’Our designer conducted several UX testing focus groups with end users and their feedback was influencing the evolution of the Digidentity Wallet. For example, there were occasions when some users could not find a way out to be able to move from one account to another. This is how the “switch” icon became part of the new interface, so that, intuitively the end user will tap on that icon to switch from one account to another.’’ 


Digidentity Wallet: The transition from smart card to digital wallet

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital identity, Digidentity now launched the Digidentity Wallet. To shed some light on this groundbreaking innovation, we sat down with some key persons that worked on the Digidentity Wallet through the past few years. Meet Marco, Lex & Monica. 
  \
**How does the Digidentity Wallet ensure user data is protected?**
In the digital age, concerns about security and privacy have taken center stage. As we navigate an increasingly interconnected world, protecting your digital identity is the standard. Marco, our Head of Product Management, ensures, ‘’The Digidentity Wallet addresses security and privacy concerns by following modern security standards and providing users with the ability to give informed consent for selective disclosure of their data. These features work together to protect user data while empowering users to control how their information is used.’’ 

Additionally, Monica, our Product Owner, adds ‘’Digidentity is a certified Qualified Trust Service Provider. Customer data is securely stored on Digidentity servers.’’ This status underlines our commitment to hold our solutions to the highest security protocols. 
  \
**What measures are in place to prevent unauthorised access to the Digidentity Wallet and the services it contains?**
‘’The Digidentity Wallet prioritises security to prevent unauthorised access and protect user data.’’, Marco starts. He further explains, ‘’To achieve this, the platform has implemented a series of robust security measures, drawing inspiration from the security standards adopted by modern banking applications. The foundation of Digidentity Wallet's security architecture is the innovative use of virtual smart cards, a patented solution that emulates the security concept of physical smart cards, but in a digital format securely housed within the app. In line with the highest security practices, Digidentity Wallet enforces Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), this mandates users to provide multiple layers of verification before accessing their accounts or executing sensitive transactions. 
  \
**What precautions and procedures are in place in case a user's device is lost or stolen, potentially putting their digital wallet access at risk?**
Loss or theft of a device doesn't spell doom for your digital wallet access. Monica elaborates, ‘’The Digidentity Wallet will never be lost like a physical wallet. Even if you lose your device, you can still access the digital wallet from another device. Also, you can recover access to your digital wallet in case you lost it.’’. 

There are several precautions and procedures in place to mitigate risks. ‘’We start with a set of self-service options that empower users to take immediate actions to secure their accounts without relying solely on customer support. For users who reach out for assistance, our customer support team is trained to guide users through the recovery process, helping them regain access to their digital wallets while following appropriate security protocols. It's important for users to understand that recovery may not always be possible, particularly if the necessary security measures aren't in place.’’, Marco explains.  

_‘’Users can even remotely disable or lock their Digidentity Wallet to prevent unauthorised access in the event that someone’s phone is lost or stolen.’’_ - Monica 
  \
**Does the Digidentity Wallet compensate on user friendliness to ensure a secure product?**
Our Head Product Designer Lex Postma outlines the streamlined steps, enabling users to quickly access their digital wallet, without compromising on security. ‘’The onboarding has been greatly simplified. When you first install the Digidentity Wallet you are greeted with a nice tour on how you can use it. After that you simply enter your email address, confirm it, and choose a PIN code. Now you have your wallet with a digital ID card, and you are ready to add your first cards by registering for the services you want. This can be for eSignatures, eHerkenning, and many of the other services we support on the highest assurance levels.’’ 

Digidentity Wallet: Safeguarding your digital identity

![sermi image 2.jpg](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/sermi_image_2_97c7721216.jpg)
Digidentity, a Solera company, and SERMI today announced a strategic partnership that will deliver a Trust Centre service for the automotive industry across 29 countries as outlined in EU regulation 1244/2021.

The SERMI scheme will start with a staged implementation from October 2023 and will provide independent operators and Remote Service Suppliers with a secure virtual token developed and deployed by Digidentity’s proprietary system to access a vehicle manufacturer’s website. This will allow access to security-related repair and maintenance information housed on the vehicle manufacturer’s portal. Once the identification is complete, an individual employee can access information from each manufacturer through this single verification.

“Building trust in the online environment is key to economic and social growth,” said Digidentity CTO and founder, Marcel Wendt. “As the Trust Centre for the SERMI scheme, we can facilitate the Conformity Assessment Body with secure electronic identification and authentication across Europe. This means we can allow users the convenience and ease of one-off verification while mitigating risk for vehicle manufacturers.”

This partnership does not just mark an easier, more efficient, and safer path for independent operators to access security-related repair and maintenance information. According to Fred Slikker, Managing Director of Digidentity: “The implementation of this digital wallet service could also herald the beginning of a more integrated identification service across multiple sectors.”

“The partnership is truly exciting because it’s the first large-scale implementation of a new standard across member states for the foreseeable future,” Fred Slikker continued: “In the past, when we talked about security, it was mostly from a service provider’s perspective. We now combine a great user experience with airtight security that benefits both recipients and users. Recipients are protected against risk and users are given total control over their data footprint using informed consent.”

Co-chair of SERMI, Jan-Willem van der Linden commented, “We are delighted to work with Digidentity as our selected Trust Centre. During the selection period they have been able to demonstrate their existing secure solution and proven track record which fits our needs seamlessly. The current progress they are showing is really impressive.”

![sermi image 2.jpg](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/sermi_image_2_97c7721216.jpg)

Digidentity, een Solera-onderneming, en SERMI kondigen vandaag een strategisch partnerschap aan. Binnen deze samenwerking gaan zij een Trust Center oplossing leveren voor de auto-industrie in 29 landen, zoals uiteengezet in EU-verordening 1244/2021. Het Europese SERMI-stelsel, dat vanaf oktober 2023 gefaseerd wordt geïmplementeerd, zal onafhankelijke autobedrijven en Remote Service Suppliers een veilig loginmiddel bieden. Deze door Digidentity ontwikkelde middelen worden ingezet om toegang te krijgen tot de website van een voertuigfabrikant. Via het portaal krijgen onafhankelijk autobedrijven zo toegang tot veiligheidsgerelateerde reparatie- en onderhoudsinformatie. Zodra de registratie is voltooid, krijgt een individuele werknemer toegang tot informatie van elke fabrikant.

"Het opbouwen van vertrouwen in de online omgeving is de sleutel tot economische en sociale groei", zegt Marcel Wendt, CTO en oprichter van Digidentity. "Als Trust Center voor SERMI kunnen wij, samen met de Conformity Assessment Body (CAB), veilige elektronische identificatie en authenticatie in heel Europa makkelijker maken. Dit betekent dat we gebruikers het gemak van eenmalige verificatie kunnen bieden, terwijl we het risico voor voertuigfabrikanten beperken."

Deze samenwerking gaat verder dan het eenvoudiger, efficiënter en veiliger toegang krijgen tot veiligheidsgerelateerde reparatie en onderhoudsinformatie voor onafhankelijke autobedrijven. Volgens Fred Slikker, Managing Director bij Digidentity: "Het realiseren van deze digitale wallet zou het begin kunnen zijn van een meer geïntegreerde identificatiedienst voor meerdere sectoren."

"Deze samenwerking is enorm interessant, het is de eerste grootschalige implementatie van een nieuwe norm in alle EU-lidstaten", vervolgt Fred Slikker. "Als we het in het verleden over beveiliging hadden, was dat meestal vanuit het perspectief van de dienstverlener. Nu combineren we een geweldige gebruikerservaring met een waterdichte beveiliging waar zowel dienstverleners als gebruikers baat bij hebben. Dienstverleners, de autofabrikanten, worden beschermd tegen risico's en gebruikers krijgen volledige controle over het gebruik van hun data met behulp van informed consent."

Jan-Willem van der Linden, Medevoorzitter van SERMI, vult aan: "Wij zijn verheugd om met Digidentity te werken als ons geselecteerde Trust Center. Tijdens de selectieperiode hebben zij hun bestaande veilige oplossing en bewezen staat van dienst gedemonstreerd. Deze sluit naadloos aan op onze behoeften. De vooruitgang die zij nu laten zien is echt indrukwekkend."

Digidentity en SERMI ontwikkelen samen naadloze toegang tot reparatie- en onderhoudsinformatie voor auto's in 29 landen

Digidentity partners with SERMI to develop seamless access to automotive repair and maintenance information across 29 countries

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital identity, Digidentity now launched the Digidentity Wallet. To shed some light on this groundbreaking innovation, we sat down with some key persons that worked on the Digidentity Wallet through the past few years. Meet Marco, Lex & Monica.
  \
**What is a digital wallet & why do you need one?**
Simply said by Monica, our Product Owner, ‘’It’s a digital wallet, because it looks and behaves exactly as a physical wallet: when you open the Digidentity app, you are asked to enter a PIN to securely access your services or add new services. Then, the app will open as a wallet, where you will see your digital ID card and your purchased services listed as stacked cards. When you buy a new service, it will be visible as a new card in your digital wallet.’’.  

‘’Digidentity Wallet refers to our digital identity platform as an environment of trust that provides several services with the highest assurance level such as: buying qualified e-signatures and a range of other identity services.’’, adds Monica. Marco, Digidentity’s Head of Product Management, elaborates on the possibilities of the Digidentity Wallet. ‘’The Digidentity Wallet is a versatile tool that integrates various services that require user identification. A key feature of our wallet is selective disclosure, allowing users to share specific information while keeping other details private’’. So, you really stay in control of your own data.  
  \
**What are the advantages of using a digital wallet like the Digidentity Wallet?**
The convenience and efficiency of the Digidentity Wallet extends beyond its resemblance to a wallet. Our Head Product Designer Lex Postma comments, ‘’The main advantage is that our Digidentity Wallet is remote and offers a reusable digital identity. You can prove your identity for one service and since it is persistent, there is no need to do it again for the next service. You do not have to go anywhere to prove your identity and show your ID, and with your digital identity you can verify yourself wherever you are.’’ Where traditional verification relies on physical checks, a digital wallet offers convenience and is applicable to multiple services.  

‘’The biggest difference and advantage opposite to traditional physical wallets is that the Digidentity Wallet is more secure. Trust is Digidentity’s core. We offer different levels of assurance for a wide range of identity services.’’, says Monica. Ensuring users have full confidence in their digital interactions. ‘’Additionally, a digital wallet will never be lost. Even if you lose your phone, you can recover your access to your digital wallet.’’ 
  \
**What can you share about how a real wallet has influenced the Digidentity Wallet?**
The Digidentity Wallet has ushered in a new era of digital identity, where security meets convenience and innovation meets familiarity. Monica states, ‘’It simply helps the user to get what he or she needs fast and effortlessly. Navigating the Digidentity Wallet is easier than ever before.’’  

‘’The 7.0 version is the start of a new direction of the Digidentity Wallet. It will become more functional and more stand alone. A single Wallet means you can access it all with a single PIN in one app. No switching back and forth between apps. You download one app, and within that you can do everything; create an account, subscribe to a service, and prove who you are.’’, explains Lex.  

‘’_We are taking a pioneering role in guiding the worldwide transition towards the adoption of identity wallets._’’ - Marco. 
  \
**How does this version contribute to the overall goal of providing a better user experience?**
Lex describes, “We have simplified the structure of the app. You simply enter your PIN code and the Wallet opens. The cards really help understand what you have in your Digidentity Wallet because the layout matches real world concepts. For example, when you open a bank account for your organisation, you get a bank card. If you start another business, you get another account with another card. The same applies to the Dutch eHerkenning card in the Digidentity Wallet.’’.  

This adherence to real-world concepts helps users to effortlessly navigate our Digidentity Wallet and had significant impact on how the app’s structure is streamlined. 

Digidentity Wallet: All about digital wallets

The companies developed a consumer app, which transforms complex transactions into seamless customer journeys. The focus on customer experience has earned Linckr and Digidentity a combined nomination in the Customer Experience category.  


## Computable Awards 2023
Out of 27 nominations, Digidentity and Linckr received the second highest jury score. They are nominated in the Customer Experience category, one of the 16 categories presented during the 18th edition of the Computable Awards. Each category has a dedicated professional jury, their vote counts for 50% of the total score. The other 50% will be decided by public voting. Voting started on the 3rd of July, and [is possible via this link](https://awards.computable.nl/stem/). The winners will be awarded on October 30th, during an award ceremony at the Beatrix theatre in Utrecht.  

## A digital vault for your personal data
An important core value for both Linckr and Digidentity is that users remain in full control of their personal data. When using the Linckr app, your personal data are securely stored in a digital vault. You are the only one who decides when and with whom to share your data during the transaction process. Normally, these processes require a lot of personal data to be shared by email or in person, making the process vulnerable for human error and fraud. With Linckr’s app, the customer experience is seamless and positive, without compromising on safety.  


## Seamless customer experience
Linckr’s app makes it easy for customers to share information, digitally sign documents and re-use one's data at multiple parties without having to re-enter data. Digidentity’s online verification and digital signing services contributed to a smooth and remote in-app onboarding for Linckr. Digidentity’s extensive experience with secure identity verification and customer onboarding fitted Linckr’s needs perfectly. Due to our partnership, Linckr now provides the same user-friendly services within their platform to offer a complete seamless customer experience.  


## Combining strengths for revolutionising digitalisation
Linckr and Digidentity both believe that digitalisation makes it easier to interact with the world. It is an essential and growing part of our society, and it is important that we make it happen in the easiest and most secure way possible.  

‘'Linckr’s unwavering commitment to creating a seamless customer experience perfectly complements our own vision. That is what makes this collaboration so successful’’, said Fred Slikker, Managing Director of Digidentity. ‘’This nomination serves as a testament to the exceptional efforts of both our teams and we are honored to receive this joint nomination for the Computable Awards.’’, Slikker continued.  

Robert Heinen, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Linckr, stated, ‘’Our partnership with Digidentity has been a game-changer, their steadfast dedication to empowering users with full control over their personal data matched our ambitions. We are grateful for this nomination and look forward to continuing our collaborative journey in further redefining customer experiences.’’ 


Vote for Digidentity and Linckr here: https://awards.computable.nl/stem/ [DUTCH]

De bedrijven hebben samen een consumenten-app ontwikkeld die complexe transacties omzet in soepele klantervaringen. De focus op klantbeleving heeft Linckr en Digidentity een gezamenlijke nominatie opgeleverd in de categorie Customer Experience. 


## Computable Awards 2023
Digidentity en Linckr hebben bij de vakjury de op één na hoogste score behaald van de 27 nominaties. Zij zijn genomineerd in de categorie Customer Experience, een van de 16 categorieën die worden gepresenteerd tijdens de 18e editie van de Computable Awards. Elke categorie heeft een eigen professionele jury, het jury-oordeel telt voor 50% van de totale score. De andere 50% wordt bepaald door publieksstemmen. Het stemmen is begonnen op 3 juli en [kan via deze link](https://awards.computable.nl/stem/). De winnaars worden op 30 oktober bekendgemaakt tijdens een prijsuitreiking in het Beatrixtheater in Utrecht. 


## Een digitale kluis voor uw persoonsgegevens
Een belangrijke kernwaarde voor zowel Linckr als Digidentity is dat gebruikers volledige controle houden over hun persoonlijke gegevens. Bij gebruik van de Linckr-app worden uw persoonlijke gegevens veilig opgeslagen in een digitale kluis. U bent de enige die beslist wanneer en met wie u uw gegevens wilt delen tijdens het transactieproces. Normaal gesproken moeten er veel persoonlijke gegevens worden gedeeld via e-mail of tijdens fysieke afspraken, waardoor het proces kwetsbaar is voor menselijke fouten en fraude. Met de app van Linckr is de klantervaring positief en gebruiksvriendelijk, zonder concessies te doen aan veiligheid. 


## Een soepele klantbeleving
Met de app van Linckr kunnen klanten eenvoudig informatie delen, digitale documenten ondertekenen en hun gegevens hergebruiken bij verschillende partijen zonder deze opnieuw in te voeren. Digidentity's online verificatie- en digitale ondertekendiensten hebben bijgedragen aan een makkelijke, in-app verificatie voor Linckr. De uitgebreide ervaring van Digidentity met veilige identiteitsverificatie en registratie sloot perfect aan bij de behoeften van Linckr. Dankzij onze samenwerking biedt Linckr nu dezelfde gebruiksvriendelijke diensten binnen zijn platform, om een complete en soepele klantbeleving te bieden. 


## Samen de digitalisering revolutioneren
Zowel Linckr als Digidentity geloven dat digitalisering de wereld toegankelijker maakt om zaken te doen. Het is een essentieel en groeiend onderdeel van onze samenleving, en het is belangrijk dat we het op de makkelijkste en veiligste manier mogelijk maken. 

"Linckr's toewijding aan het creëren van een soepele klantbeleving vult onze visie perfect aan. Dat is wat deze samenwerking zo succesvol maakt", aldus Fred Slikker, Managing Director van Digidentity. "Deze nominatie getuigt van de uitzonderlijke inspanningen van beide teams en we zijn vereerd met deze gezamenlijke nominatie voor de Computable Awards", vervolgde Slikker. 

Robert Heinen, medeoprichter en managing partner van Linckr, verklaarde: "Onze samenwerking met Digidentity heeft alles veranderd. Hun toegewijde inzet om gebruikers volledige controle te geven over hun persoonlijke gegevens komt overeen met onze ambities. We zijn dankbaar voor deze nominatie en kijken ernaar uit om onze samenwerkingsreis voort te zetten bij het herdefiniëren van klantbelevingen." 


Stem hier op Digidentity en Linckr: https://awards.computable.nl/stem/ 

Digidentity en Linckr genomineerd voor de Computable Awards 2023 

Digidentity and Linckr nominated for the Computable Awards 2023 

The European Medicines Agency, the International Criminal Court, Eurocontrol, the OPCW are all well-known international organisations with activities and offices in the Netherlands. However, until recently they were outsiders in terms of online government services. They cannot register with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, meaning they cannot register for eHerkenning, the Dutch standard for logging in at governmental services. Until now, they often had to rely on paperwork or other less secure forms of communication with the government.  

Recently, these organisations, as well as embassies and consulates, can apply for eHerkenning through Digidentity. This achievement is the result of a project spanning over 2 years, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BuZa), the Tax Authority, and the eHerkenning framework. The outcome is a solution that provides the same secure access to the government for this target group as it does for other organisations and businesses. 

The solution is based on the PROBAS register, which BuZa maintains to keep track of embassies, consulates, and international organisations with activities in the Netherlands. When they apply for eHerkenning with us, we verify the request using PROBAS, primarily checking if the applicant is authorised to represent the organisation. 

Although our issuance process for PROBAS differs from the regular process, it is just as simple and fast: within 10 minutes, you can obtain a login tool from the comfort of your own (desk) chair. The application is entirely digital, without the need for a physical presence or paperwork, and you can use your login tool immediately. It is securely stored in your Digidentity wallet prepared for eIDAS 2.0. With our experience in serving over 200 different nationalities, we can help nearly anyone, regardless the ID documents they bring. 

Het Europees Medicijnen Agentschap, het Internationaal Strafhof, Eurocontrol, het OPCW: bekende, internationaal werkende organisaties met een (hoofd)kantoor in Nederland. Maar voor de overheid tot voor kort buitenbeentjes als het gaat om dienstverlening: ze kunnen zich niet inschrijven in de Kamer van Koophandel, kunnen daardoor geen gebruik maken van eHerkenning, en zijn daardoor vaak aangewezen op papierwerk of andere, minder veilige vormen van communicatie met de overheid.  

Sinds kort kunnen deze organisaties - en overigens ook ambassades en consulaten - eHerkenning aanvragen bij Digidentity. Het is het resultaat van een project van ruim 2 jaar, in samenwerking met het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken (BuZa), de Belastingdienst en het eHerkenning stelsel. Met als resultaat een oplossing die de doelgroep dezelfde veilige toegang geeft tot de overheid als andere organisaties en bedrijven. 

De oplossing is gebaseerd op het PROBAS register, een register waarin BuZa bijhoudt welke ambassades en consulaten er in Nederland gevestigd zijn. Daarnaast bevat het ook internationale organisaties met een (hoofd)kantoor in Nederland. Als zij bij ons eHerkenning aanvragen controleren wij de aanvraag op basis van PROBAS. We kijken daarbij met name of de aanvrager geautoriseerd is om de organisatie te vertegenwoordigen. 

Alhoewel ons uitgifteproces voor PROBAS anders is dan het reguliere proces, is het net zo eenvoudig een snel: binnen 10 minuten een inlogmiddel vanuit je luie (bureau)stoel. De aanvraag is volledig digitaal zonder de noodzaak van een fysieke afspraak of papierwerk, en je kunt je inlogmiddel direct gebruiken. Veilig opgeborgen in een wallet die klaar is voor eIDAS 2.0. Onze ervaring met meer dan 200 verschillende nationaliteiten maakt dat wij vrijwel iedereen kunnen helpen, ongeacht de papieren die iemand meebrengt.  

Digidentity introduceert: eHerkenning voor internationale organisaties.   

Digidentity introduces: eHerkenning for international organisations.

**Digidentity has announced a new partnership with the General Medical Council (GMC) to verify the identity of doctors working in the UK.**

The partnership will provide robust digital identity verification for all doctors in accordance with Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) standards for identity assurance. It will offer speed, convenience, and security, transforming the registration process for both doctors and GMC staff. 

The service, which is part of a programme of modernisation within the GMC went live on Tuesday 25th April 2023 and will be the primary option for all doctors wanting to practise in the UK. It will also be rolled out to UK medical students later this year. 

All UK registered doctors have their identity checked by the GMC before joining the medical register. The Digidentity app will allow doctors to have their identity verified digitally rather than in person at a GMC office. 

‘Our service will enable GMC to comply with their statutory obligations to reduce the risk of ID theft and fraud, and to maintain the rigour of the doctor’s registration process. For doctors it will make the process faster and more convenient; simplifying the process and eliminating the need to travel’, says Digidentity’s UK Country Manager, Jonathan Evans. 

Una Lane, Director of Registration and Revalidation at the GMC, said: ‘Identity checks are a key part of securing GMC registration. We are delighted that we are now able to offer doctors more flexibility by giving them the option to confirm their identity with us quickly, safely and securely using their mobile phone. 

'We hope these checks will save already very busy doctors time and money as they will no longer need to travel to our offices if they choose the digital option. In-person ID checks are still available for those doctors who would prefer to show their documents in person.’ 

![Online identity verification for UK doctors through GMC and Digidentity partnership copy.jpeg](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Online_identity_verification_for_UK_doctors_through_GMC_and_Digidentity_partnership_copy_b7a486bde2.jpeg)

Online identity verification for UK doctors through GMC and Digidentity partnership 

Completely remote, practical, cost-effective: as a supplier of eHerkenning, among other services, Digidentity has gained a unique position with its unique technique. Contracts with major brands highlight the company's innovative power. 

## "The technique we have developed and use is difficult to replicate."

Doing business and managing tasks online? With eHerkenning, you can log in to over 500 different service providers in the Netherlands, including government agencies (such as the Tax Authorities and the RDW), provinces, municipalities, and private organisations (health insurers, pension funds). You gain secure access, and the service provider knows they are dealing with a verified individual. "I call it a digital twin," says Marcel Wendt, founder and CTO of Digidentity, the company that built DigiD. "The internet is a sanctuary for false identities, but with eHerkenning, you possess a verified digital identity alongside your physical presence." With foresight, Wendt started his company in 2008: "We have already verified over 25 million identities with our unique technique." The company is certified by the European Union as a Qualified Trust Service Provider. Wendt states, "This means we have the right to provide one or more qualified trust services after undergoing a rigorous assessment process." 

## Complete online registration 

Digidentity is not the only provider of such trust services in the Netherlands. Among the six companies making strides in this area, is a major provider like KPN. Nevertheless, Digidentity's innovative edge is remarkable. Wendt explains, "We are the only provider that offers eHerkenning fully online at all levels. Other companies require physical identification, but with us, you can register completely digitally and remotely through the website and app. Additionally, we have the fastest registration process for eHerkenning, taking approximately five minutes. If you want to operate on behalf of a company or organisation afterward, you only need to provide the Chamber of Commerce (KvK) number. Other providers ask for a copy of the registration, but we retrieve all the data digitally." Wendt is surprised that the competition has not followed suit, but on the other hand understands why: "The technique we have developed and use, including face matching, is difficult to replicate." 

## Digital signing 

Digidentity has always been at the forefront of digital signatures. Wendt explains, "In 2011, we were the first to introduce Qualified Cloud-based signing, allowing for quick, legally valid digital document and contract signing in the cloud without the need for cards or readers." Due to the COVID-19 crisis and the lockdowns that made face-to-face meetings nearly impossible, secure remote document signing with qualified electronic signatures experienced significant growth. Wendt says, "A Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) is a unique signature for each signatory. It is legally binding in the United Kingdom and the European Union and holds the same legal weight as a traditional signature. It provides a qualified certificate that irrefutably identifies the signatory and protects the document against manipulation or forgery." 

eSignatures from Digidentity follow the same registration process as eHerkenning and can be completed within minutes due to highly optimised procedures. Wendt adds, "With our QES, you are not tied to a specific platform. So, if you receive a signing request via Adobe Sign or CM.com, you can simply sign it." 

 ## Innovative strength 

The company's unique technique - fully online, practical, and cost-effective - gives it a distinctive position. "All the contracts we win," says Wendt, "and all the deals we make with the biggest brands you can imagine, underline our innovative strength." The biggest success of this year is nothing short of a European mega-project. Alongside the Finnish and Swedish governments, Digidentity is part of the EUDI Wallet Consortium (EWC). This consortium has been selected by the European Commission to carry out a pilot project for the development of the European Identity Wallet. Wendt states, "Our years of experience in digital identity and wallets have led to Digidentity being chosen as one of the industry partners of the consortium." 

Volledig online, praktisch, kosteneffectief: als leverancier van onder andere eHerkenning verwierf Digidentity met een unieke techniek een unieke positie. De aanbestedingen die het bedrijf wint met de grootste merken onderstrepen de innovatieve kracht.

## ‘De techniek die we hebben ontwikkeld en gebruiken laat zich moeilijk kopiëren’

Online zakendoen en regelen? Met eHerkenning log je in bij meer dan 500 verschillende dienstverleners, van Rijksoverheid (denk aan bijvoorbeeld de Belastingdienst en de RDW), provincie en gemeenten tot private organisaties (zorgverzekeraars, pensioenfondsen) in Nederland . Je krijgt veilig en betrouwbaar toegang én de dienstverlener weet dat hij te maken heeft met een bestaand persoon. ‘Ik noem het een digital twin,’ zegt Marcel Wendt, oprichter en CTO van Digidentity, het bedrijf dat o.a. DigiD bouwde. ‘Internet is een vrijplaats van valse identiteiten, met eHerkenning beschik je naast je fysieke verschijning over een geverifieerde digitale identiteit.’ Met vooruitziende blik startte Wendt zijn bedrijf in 2008: ‘Inmiddels hebben we met onze unieke techniek al meer dan 25 miljoen identiteiten geverifieerd.’ Het bedrijf is gecertificeerd door de Europese Unie als Qualified Trust Service Provider. Wendt: ‘Dat betekent dat we het recht hebben om een of meer gekwalificeerde vertrouwensdiensten te leveren, na het doorlopen van een streng beoordelingsproces.’

## Volledig online registreren

Digidentity is in Nederland niet de enige leverancier van zulke vertrouwensdiensten. Onder de zes partijen die ermee aan de weg timmeren, bevindt zich ook een grote aanbieder als KPN. De innovatieve voorsprong van Digidentity is niettemin opvallend. Wendt: ‘We zijn de enige partij die eHerkenning op alle niveaus volledig online aanbieden. Andere bedrijven vragen om fysieke identificatie, bij ons kun je volledig digitaal en remote registreren, via de website en de app. En we hebben, met circa vijf minuten, de snelste registratie voor eHerkenning. Wil je daarna namens een bedrijf of organisatie opereren, dan hoef je alleen maar het KvK-nummer door te geven. Andere partijen willen een kopietje van de inschrijving, wij halen digitaal alle gegevens op.’ Wendt verbaast zich erover dat de concurrentie niet volgt en snapt het anderzijds ook wel: ‘De techniek die we hebben ontwikkeld en gebruiken, waaronder facematching, is moeilijk te kopiëren.’

## Digitaal ondertekenen

Ruim tien jaar geleden liep Digidentity al voorop met de digitale handtekening. Wendt: ‘We waren in 2011 de eerste met Qualified Cloud-gebaseerde ondertekening: snel, rechtsgeldig, overal en altijd digitaal documenten en contracten ondertekenen in de cloud, zonder pasjes, zonder readers.’ Door de coronacrisis met de lockdowns die face-to-face vergaderingen bijna onmogelijk maakten, heeft het een enorme vlucht genomen: veilig documenten op afstand ondertekenen met gekwalificeerde elektronische handtekeningen. ‘Dat doe je,’ zegt Wendt, ‘met een Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), een unieke handtekening voor elke ondertekenaar. Die is wettelijk bindend in het Verenigd Koninkrijk en in de Europese Unie en staat juridisch gelijk aan een traditionele handtekening. Het biedt een gekwalificeerd certificaat dat de ondertekenaar onweerlegbaar identificeert en het document beschermt tegen manipulatie of vervalsing.’

eSignatures van Digidentity heeft dezelfde registratie als eHerkenning, met een proces dat zo ver geoptimaliseerd is dat het binnen enkele minuten kan worden voltooid. Wendt: ‘Met onze QES zit je niet vast aan een specifiek platform. Dus krijg je bijvoorbeeld een ondertekenverzoek via Adobe Sign of CM.com dan kun je gewoon tekenen.’

## Innovatieve kracht

Unieke techniek – geheel online,  praktisch, kosteneffectief – geeft het bedrijf een unieke positie. ‘Alle aanbestedingen die we winnen,’ zegt Wendt, ‘en alle deals die we maken met de grootste merken die je bedenken kunt, onderstrepen toch wel onze innovatieve kracht.’ Het grootste succes van dit jaar is niets minder dan een Europees megaproject.  Samen met onder andere de Finse en Zweedse overheid maakt Digidentity deel uit van het EUDI Wallet Consortium (EWC). Dit consortium is door de Europese Commissie geselecteerd om een pilot voor het ontwikkelen van de Europese Identity Wallet uit te voeren. Wendt: ‘Onze jarenlange ervaring met digitale identiteit en wallets heeft ervoor gezorgd dat Digidentity uitgekozen werd als een van de industry partners van het consortium.’ 

Digidentity: de enige aanbieder die eHerkenning volledig online kan aanbieden

Digidentity: the only provider that offers completely remote eHerkenning

We want to inform you about an upcoming maintenance activity that will affect our services. 

On Friday, July 14, 8:00 PM (CET) to Saturday, July 15, 8:00 PM (CET), Digidentity will perform scheduled server maintenance. This maintenance is part of our efforts to prepare our services for the future. 

**What are the main implications for you?**
During the maintenance, Digidentity’s services will be temporarily unavailable for all users.  

Digidentity continuously improves the performance, reliability, and security of its systems. Once the maintenance is completed, our services will be available again. 

**Do you have any questions?** 
You can subscribe to [our status page](https://ddy.statuspage.io/) to stay informed about outages and maintenance. For other questions, please [visit our FAQ page](https://helpdesk.digidentity.com/hc/en-us) or contact our service desk via helpdesk@digidentity.co.uk. We are happy to assist you further. 

Graag informeren wij u over onderhoudswerkzaamheden die invloed hebben op onze diensten. 

Op vrijdag 14 juli 20:00 uur tot zaterdag 15 juli 20:00 uur zal Digidentity gepland serveronderhoud uitvoeren. Met dit onderhoud maken wij onze diensten klaar voor de toekomst. 

**Wat zijn de belangrijkste gevolgen voor u?**
U kunt in de bovengenoemde periode geen gebruik maken van uw Digidentity diensten. 

Digidentity verbetert voortdurend de prestaties, betrouwbaarheid en veiligheid van haar systemen. Zodra het onderhoud is voltooid, zullen onze diensten weer beschikbaar zijn.  
**Heeft u nog vragen?**
Op [onze statuspagina](https://ddy.statuspage.io/) kunt u zich inschrijven om op de hoogte te blijven van actuele storingen en onderhoud. Voor overige vragen kunt u [onze FAQ pagina](https://helpdesk.digidentity.eu/) bezoeken of contact opnemen met onze servicedesk via dit email adres: helpdesk@digidentity.eu. Wij helpen u graag verder.  

Update serveronderhoud

Maintenance Update 

Orchestration service provider [Mvine Ltd ](https://www.mvine.com/) and identity service provider Digidentity have agreed to partner to make a range of digital identity verification services available securely at pace in a new way, by prioritising speed and affordability. The move reinforces the go-to-market strategy of both Mvine and Digidentity to scale up their respective commercial activities in the B2B market in UK and beyond.  

This new partnership means Mvine will integrate its digital identity hub with Digidentity identity services. Digidentity is a certified Identity Service Provider (IDSP) under the UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework. The result will be solution engineered to deliver digital identity verification (IDV) checks securely at pace. The partnership coincides with the launch to the UK B2B market of ‘MvineID’, a new service delivering fast and affordable identity verification checks to UK businesses according to their needs and budget. 

When Mvine’s business customers require Right to Work, Right to Rent and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks they can opt to select Digidentity as their identity services provider (IDSP). Digital identity verification checks performed using fully remote technologies by Digidentity will then be passed through Mvine’s identity hub which delivers a non-repudiable and tamper-proof certificate of verification. Professionals such as Human Resources Managers, Volunteer Managers, Estate Agents, Landlords and Sports Clubs will be able to buy the type of IDV checks they require in the quantities they require without the need to first integrate their own systems to the IDSP. This service design disrupts approaches currently used, for example, when new permanent, contract or volunteer staff are brought into workplaces, or when people are onboarded as new residential tenants by landlords or their managing agents. 

Frank Joshi, Director at Mvine Limited, said, “Mvine and Digidentity partnering together makes the new MvineID proposition very exciting for new and existing customers, not just because of the affordability but also because of the ease to set up and run. It makes digital identity verification services available securely at pace to all business customers regardless of their company size or number of IDV checks they need to perform.”  

Jonathan Evans, Senior Business Development Manager at Digidentity, said, “We see in Mvine a partner which is trusted and trustworthy. Digidentity’s and Mvine’s combined strengths make IDV checks available to all businesses. As a recognised leading digital identity provider we are pleased to be working with Frank and his team to realise the market opportunity.” 

 


Fast & affordable digital identity verification for businesses. Mvine & Digidentity partner to deliver secure IDV checks. Experience MvineID's convenience & scalability.

 Secure & Fast IDV Checks: Mvine & Digidentity Partnership

Digidentity partners with Mvine to deliver Digital Identity Verification

As of April 2023, GOV.UK Verify is no longer being used by any government services. This means users can no longer register for this service or use an existing account to sign into any government services. 

Digidentity, as one of the identity providers for GOV.UK Verify, has verified the identities of millions of users, granting them access to government services. We would like to thank our users for trusting us with their identity verification needs over the years and look forward to continuing to deliver valuable services in the future. 

**Your Digidentity Account**

Digidentity's policy is to delete user accounts after 2 years of inactivity, except for cases where the account is being used for other Digidentity services. Existing users can reuse their accounts for other services, including Right to Work, Right to Rent, and DBS checks.  

Users also have the option to delete their own account by signing in and selecting the ‘Delete’ option from the ‘Settings’ section. 

[Sign in to Digidentity](https://my.digidentity.eu/). 

If you cannot sign in and you want to delete your account, please [contact our support team](https://digidentity.eu/en/contact/). 

**Data Retention**

Digidentity is required by the Government Digital Service to retain auditable records associated with user accounts for a period of up to seven years. For more information, please see our privacy statement  

If you have any questions regarding the discontinuation of GOV.UK Verify or about your Digidentity account, please visit our FAQ page or contact our support team.  

For alternative ways of accessing government services, please visit [https://gov.uk/verify](https://gov.uk/verify).

GOV.UK Verify Closure

If your organisation outsources various tasks, such as filing tax returns or arranging permits, to intermediaries you need a chain authorisation from eHerkenning. What? Who? How? Digidentity understands this may raise some questions. To help you onto the right path, we made something for you! This infographic answers the most common asked questions, and we hope it answers yours all well.  

Digidentity is a recognised supplier of eHerkenning and offer what we call a chain authorisation. With eHerkenning chain authorisation, you can authorise someone else to log in to various government services on behalf of your organisation. This gives you the opportunity to outsource various tasks, an authorised person can file tax returns, arrange permits or apply for subsidies for example. We are happy to help you manage your chain authorisations. Digidentity’s Self Service Portal makes managing chain authorisations easy.

**Frequently asked questions about eHerkenning chain authorisations at Digidentity.**
![Digidentity_pagina_ENG.png](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/3bdaf35a36f08300d8c5b7412212d36d.png)
If you want to know more or need help getting started with eHerkenning chain authorisations, feel free to contact our team of experts.

4 things you want to know about eHerkenning chain authorisations

On 14 December 2022, the EUDI Wallet Consortium (EWC) has been selected by the European Commission to participate in EU Digital Identity WalletLarge Scale Pilots. With Digidentity’s wide experience in Digital Identity we are proud to be a partner in these pilots. 

The EWC is led by Swedish and Finnish government authorities and will be supported by industry experts. Digidentity is one of those industry experts, due to our experience as a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) with Digital Identity, wallet applications and integration. The pilot focuses on the development of three use cases: Travel, Payments and Organisational Digital Identity.  

A pilot of this large proportion is needed to ensure a safe usability and integration when providing all European citizens with a trusted digital identity that needs to be recognised in all EU Member States. The EU Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet is part of the upcoming eIDAS2-regulation. Apart from the identity, data like a mobile driver's licence, academic credentials, and more, will be able to be stored in the EUDI Wallet and shared under the user's complete control.Digidentity is committed to contribute to achieve the highest safety standards for this pilot.  

Since the Wallet will be used for both government and private sector, the wallet must work within an ecosystem of organisations. Ultimately the wallet will be used for secure digital transactions for things like identity, attribute sharing, authentication and signing. Something that is already possible with our Digidentity Wallet, and now we can use this experience within the pilot of the EWC. 

Digidentity is proud to contribute to the EWC, the next chapter in the digitalisation of the EU. [Learn more about the EU Digital Identity Wallet here.](https://eudiwalletconsortium.org/)

Pilot for European Digital Identity wallet approved by the European Commission.

As of November 2022, Digidentity has switched banks. Subsequently, we have a new bank account number for customers. This change is effective immediately and applies to all our customers and services. We respectfully want to ask our clients to update this data in your administration at your earliest convenience.  

**Our new bank account numbers are:**

The Netherlands (Euro)  

NL39 INGB 0390 7468 43. 

United Kingdom (GBP)  

NL15 INGB 0020 2436 50  

The corresponding BIC code is INGBNL2A. 

We kindly request our customers to process the change of these bank details in their financial administration as soon as possible. Our new bank details are also stated on our invoices. Please keep in mind that our old bank account number can no longer be used after 1 January 2024. 

We thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions regarding the change, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can reach our finance department via email at debiteuren@digidentity.com. 

Change of bank account number

Business Development Manager, Nancy White of Digidentity answers some pressing questions around Right to Work checks and how to make the change smoothly.

**Do you think the new Right to Work legislation is a good move forwards digitalisation?**

This legislation is a step in the right direction. As the UK has returned to a new normal, many companies have adopted an altered way of working, with people continuing to work remotely. Digital checks allow employers to complete right to work checks regardless of where the employee, or employer, are located. This saves costs and travel time for employees and makes the hiring process speedier.

**How does Digidentity step in to help industry with this law? Why is the service provided a valuable one and how does it work?**

Digidentity is a certified identity service provider (IDSP) under the UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework. We offer digital checks for British and Irish citizens. Digidentity uses the best in-class technology to ensure the employee’s right to work checks are being completed to the highest standards.

This process is quick and simple – The employee uses the Digidentity app to read the NFC chip in their passport. They then need to take a selfie, and the app will perform a liveness check to complete biometric identification to confirm their identity. No physical appointment is necessary. And once complete, the employer receives confirmation of the person’s verified details of the digital check, including a copy of the verified passport for their records.

**Is the market happy with this process or do they like the old way of doing things? What are their concerns or hopes around this new law?**

Companies are happy and hopeful that these digital checks will provide ease and confidence in continuing to hire remotely. Recruitment agencies and HR personnel responsible for new hires are faced with limitations. They are now working at lower capacity, continue to work remotely, and are responsible for hiring employees in multiple locations across the UK. They do not have the staffing, resources, or time to complete in-person manual checks for all UK employees. Digidentity’s digital Right to Work checks will help ensure hiring can continue efficiently, without the need for employees to leave their own home or office.

To learn more, download our cheat-sheet for extra information or to make the switch, contact us on sales@digidentity.com

3 Things you need to know about Right to Work checks

Authorisations are an essential part of eHerkenning. They record who can access which services while acting on behalf of your business or organisation. This creates certainty that only designated individuals can perform specific actions, such as filing taxes, requesting subsidies or parking permits. The validity of an authorisation varies between 1 - 5 years. After this period, an authorisation must be renewed. 

To guarantee continuity of your business and workflow, it is important that authorisations are renewed in a timely manner. How the renewal process is performed depends on the specific role of the person inside the company or organisation. A designated company administrator can instantly renew authorisation for any company personnel. However, what happens when the company administrator’s own authorisations expire?  

A company administrator cannot renew their own authorisation(s). As a result, the renewal process usually involves re-requesting the relevant authorisations from the authorised signatories of the company. However, there is a more efficient option – namely appointing a second company administrator.  

Authorisations for company administrators are effortlessly renewed if there are multiple company administrators within a single company. In this scenario, the company administrator whose authorisation has expired takes on the role of an employee. The subsequent renewal request is then approved by another company administrator. 

Digidentity always recommends appointing at least two company administrators within a company or organisation. This guarantees that all authorisations can be granted and renewed in an efficient and timely manner. The company administrator role can be requested free of charge via the Digidentity website or in the Digidentity Self-Service Portal. 

For instructions on renewing authorisations, please read our FAQ article ([Dutch](https://helpdesk.digidentity.eu/hc/nl/articles/360001370558) / [English](https://helpdesk.digidentity.eu/hc/nl/articles/8659757866001-How-do-I-renew-an-authorisation-))

Renewal of Authorisations

Do you need to log in to a Dutch government's website, such as the tax authority (de Belastingdienst), the UWV or another governmental institution? As is is often mandatory to log in to Dutch government services with eHerkenning, chances are you will need this product to register as quickly and as easily as possible. Continue reading to find out how you can do that with Digidentity.

**What is eHerkenning?**

An increasing number of companies and organisations offer their services online. To guarantee that everyone can do business in a reliable and safe way, eHerkenning has been created. For eHerkenning, you need verify your identity as well as your Chamber of Commerce (Kvk) registration online. Every company that works with eHerkenning must identify itself. This way you know for sure that your information is being sent and received in a secure and legitimate way. With eHerkenning you can log in to various government organisations, within the Netherlands and Europe. 

**What do you need to register for eHerkenning?**

Before you start the registration process, there are a few things to keep in mind. Determine where you need to log in with eHerkenning and find out what level of assurance is required to login. Many government institutions, such as the tax authorities (de Belastingdienst) and the UWV, require assurance level 3. If you only need it for the business portal of the tax authorities (de Belastingdienst), then there is eHerkenning 3 tax which you use only to log into the business portal. 

**How do I register for eHerkenning?**
**Start the process**

Digidentity's registration process is online, quick and easy. You start the application simply by choosing the right product on this page and clicking on 'Register now'. Make sure you have your identity document, smartphone and Chamber of Commerce (Kvk) number to hand. Our system takes you through the registration process, step by step. 

**Identification**

The registration process starts with the creation of your Digidentity account. In this step you download our Digidentity app on your smartphone. We verify your identity with our biometric identification method. This means that with the app we are going to read the NFC chip in your identity document. To confirm your identity, you take two selfies, which we compare with the photo on your identity document. 

**Verification**

After confirming your identity, we verify the details of the company for which you are registering eHerkenning. To do this, we ask you to enter the Chamber of Commerce (Kvk) number in this step. Based on your registration with the Chamber of Commerce (Kvk), we check the company's details. 

**Authorization**

In the final steps of the registration process, we verify that you are authorised to act on behalf of this company. If you are an authorised representative in the Chamber of Commerce (Kvk), the authorization will be automatically approved. If this is not the case, you must ask the authorised representative in your company for approval. 

When you do this, the authorised representative will receive a notification by e-mail to make the registration process as fast as possible. You also will be informed by e-mail as soon as the approval has been processed. 

**Ready to use**

When the authorization is approved, your eHerkenning account is ready to use. You will also receive a confirmation e-mail. From now on you can log in quickly and securely with eHerkenning.  

If you need eHerkenning for multiple companies, you must request a new authorisation for each company. For this, you do not need to re-identify yourself. Based on your verified identity within eHerkenning, you can request permissions for other companies. 

**Why choose Digidentity?**

Digidentity is an authorised provider of eHerkenning designated by the government. This means that we meet the assurance requirements that are necessary to make eHerkenning the trusted system that it is today. In addition, our unique identification method ensures that you are registered within minutes without leaving your desk. Add to that the fact that we do not charge any hidden costs and offer excellent service, and we become an easy choice, almost as easy as your registration.

Want to register for eHerkenning at Digidentity? [Click here.](https://auth.digidentity.eu/register) If you have any questions about chain permissions or the eHerkenning broker, please contact the expert below.

Want to register for eHerkenning? Here is how.

On 1 February 2022, Digidentity signed a contract with the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) to deliver identity services as part of the central digital architecture that will drive pensions dashboards.  

As identity services supplier, Digidentity will enable individuals to access their pensions information securely. Last year alone, Digidentity protected the digital identity of more than 20 million people and is delighted to deliver a high-quality identity service  to the PDP as well. The contract will run for two years. 

This contract is a big milestone for PDP, as it completes the procurement of the major elements of the central digital architecture. The identity services supplied by Digidentity will be integrated by PDP with the rest of the digital architecture during the coming weeks.  

**Identity service **

Identity verification is an important element in the development of pension dashboards. By affirming that both pension providers and future dashboard users are who they say they are, PDP can protect the digital identities and the data that comes with them. Only individuals who have their identity confirmed online through the identification service supplied by Digidentity can view their pension information. 

Richard James, Programme Director of the [Pensions Dashboards Programme](https://www.pensionsdashboardsprogramme.org.uk/2022/02/07/pdp-appoints-digidentity-identity-service-supplier/) at MaPS, commented:   

“Today’s announcement of an identity service supplier is another significant step forward for the Pensions Dashboards Programme. The programme is moving forward at pace and I am looking forward to working with Digidentity to integrate the identity service with the rest of the digital architecture as we start to bring pensions dashboards to life.” 

Dick Dekkers, Business Development Director, Digidentity said:  

“Digidentity is delighted to have been chosen by the Pensions Dashboards programme as designated identity service supplier. It brings millions of UK citizens a secure digital identity in a proven solution that is fast to onboard and easy to use.” 

Should you have interest in learning more about the Identity services Digidentity provides, you are welcome to contact us through the contact form on this site or representative beneath. 

Digidentity is the identity service supplier for the Pensions Dashboards Programme.

**The Hague, September 2021** - [Digidentity](https://www.digidentity.eu/en), a Solera company, Europe’s most innovative online identity verification company, has today announced that it has signed a resale agreement with Adobe. The agreement enables [Adobe](https://www.adobe.com/uk/about-adobe.html) to resell Digidentity's Advanced and Qualified Electronic signatures as part of the Adobe Sign service offering.

Having spent much of the past year in lockdown, face-to-face meetings have been few and far between. Many organisations have used online verification to continue remote transactions and agreements. Digidentity offers a fast, secure and remote digital verification experience. The impact of COVID has increased momentum in the demand for electronic signatures.

As Europe’s most innovative online verification provider, Digidentity combines seamless usability with robust and reliable security on a global scale. With the ability to verify over 4,000 identity documents for more than 180 nationalities.

Utilising Digidentity’s Remote Identification (Advanced and Qualified) assurance service, organisations receive a smoother and more versatile onboarding process that can be completed within minutes, including real-time remote registration and a self-service portal to manage account lifecycles and invite users.

With Adobe’s global reach, this agreement enables Digidentity to further strengthen its position across key markets, expanding its commercial reach and accelerating growth. Global software giant Adobe is one of the biggest suppliers of electronic signatures. With the seamless integration of Digidentity within Adobe, clients can start signing their documents with Advanced (AES) or Qualified (QES) signatures on their existing contract. Digidentity is a Qualified Trust Service Provider in accordance with eIDAS.

“Digidentity is recognised for its technologically advanced product and international position within the market. We are extremely excited that having Ourt journey started with the introduction of the first Qualified Cloud based signing back in 2011.1, Since that time we‘ve grown and evolved into a scalable, global solution. This agreement with Adobe enables us to provide on a larger scale our Qualified certificates within the Digidentity Identity wallet.” notes Marcel Wendt, CTO and founder of Digidentity.

“We are very pleased to simplify the buying experience for our customers by offering the ability to purchase Advanced and Qualified digital certificates from Digidentity as part of their Adobe contract.” stated Alex Hayward, Senior Director, International Product Marketing & GTM, Adobe; “Customers can use Digidentity to streamline e-signing experiences with cloud signatures, helping ensure that each signer’s identity is fully verified and authenticated.”

**About Digidentity**

Digidentity, part of Solera Holdings, Inc., is Europe’s most innovative online identity verification company, combining smooth usability with government-grade security. It is a trusted supplier and partner of GOV.UK Verify, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Cloud Signature Consortium, DIACC, Post Office, Nationale Nederlanden Group, among others. Last year alone, Digidentity realised over 300 million authentications and protected the digital identity of more than 20 million people from 180+ nationalities globally. Digidentity is an eIDAS accredited Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP).

Learn more at: [https://www.digidentity.eu/en/home/#about](https://www.digidentity.eu/en/home/#about)

Digidentity eSignatures now available direct from Adobe

**The Hague, July 2021** - Digidentity (part of Solera Holdings Inc.), a global supplier of online digital identities has announced today that it has rolled out its Remote Identification capabilities to all clients following the successful implementation across a number of niche user groups. The technology enables organisations and their customers to reliably complete identification checks without the need for physical attendance. Available through Digidentity’s own platform, the solution leverages Near Field Communication (NFC), Liveness Detection and Selfie Check.

Providing a global product, Digidentity’s platform can verify over 4,000 different identity documentations (eg. passports, identity cards and driving licences) across more than 180 nationalities. With the introduction of Remote Identification, the organisation offers full online registration for Qualified Electronic Signatures. Ahead of its launch, the service has been extensively tested for optimisation and assessed by an independent external auditor.

With the development of Remote Identification, Digidentity can now onboard new users looking to use Qualified eSignatures within minutes. The technology completely removes the need for physical presence for identification, providing an efficient solution that significantly streamlines the verification process.

eIDAS Substantial and High are currently the highest forms of trustworthiness for online identification. The traditional method of face-to-face identification - with checks based on physical presence - can make the registration process for these identities take days or sometimes weeks. Digidentity’s Remote Identification reduces the time it takes to verify users by registering customers worldwide for Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) ) without the need for customers or employees to identify in person. This saves both parties time and makes the registration process easier and more efficient.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Digidentity has seen a significant increase in the demand for digital identities and electronic signatures. In addition to quickly scaling the platform, Digidentity has also made the registration process more mobile-focused and has integrated NFC for its identification and verification services.

Marcel Wendt, CTO of Digidentity, says: “The development of Remote Identification is very important. It is the culmination of 13 years of developing identity services. We are proud to be leading identity verification into the future with our remote identification service, being rolled-out at an international level.”


>Remote Identification enables companies to identify both employees and customers efficiently. It can also arrange legal matters with great ease of use. This includes employment contracts, business services and onboarding processes. Following the impact of COVID-19, there has never been a greater need for this development.

**About Digidentity**

Digidentity, part of Solera Holdings, Inc., is Europe’s leading online identity verification company, combining smooth usability with government-grade security. It is a trusted supplier and partner of GOV.UK Verify, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Cloud Signature Consortium, DIACC, Post Office, Deloitte and Siemens, among others. Last year alone, Digidentity realised over 300 million authentications and protected the digital identity of more than 20 million people from 180+ nationalities globally. Digidentity is an eIDAS accredited Qualified

Trust Service Provider for SBR and professional certificates, and advanced / qualified digital signatures (AES / QES).

Digidentity Removes Need for Face-to-Face Checks With Remote Identification

![Screenshot_2021-11-15_at_11.40.25.png](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/1377eff987c7457732149506b4db5f3c.png)

Nuremberg, Germany and The Hague, Netherlands – June 17th, 2020 – German biometrics company BioID and Dutch identity provider Digidentity, part of Solera Holdings, Inc., collaborate to offer a completely automated identity proofing process to the British government. Digidentity delivers state-of-the-art, certified identity solutions with high levels of assurance complying with eIDAS, KYC and AML regulations. For fraud prevention and automation, these are supported by the anti-spoofing liveness detection technologies from long-term partner BioID.

As a certified identity proofing service provider, Digidentity verifies over 20 million identities and their technology processes more than 300 million authentications a year. Offering remote identity verification for GOV.UK Verify, Digidentity enables the British public to access a wide range of governmental services online. Among other security features, facial recognition and biometric liveness detection by BioID are used for verifying the ID ownership and deterring fraud by presentation attacks. When validating identity online, a crucial and mandatory element to preventing identity fraud is to make sure the physical and digital person are genuinely connected. Digidentity’s trusted solutions streamline the process in real-time making human intervention unnecessary in most cases.

**Scaling GOV.UK Verify identity proofing during COVID-19**

COVID-19 has boosted the growing need of an autonomous solution to replace physical face-to-face governmental services. To maintain public administration, remote identity verification with high levels of assurance is required for a huge number of users. Within a few weeks only, Digidentity was able to scale up its service and now can onboard more than 400 UK identities per minute. BioID’s technology powered by its patented liveness detection allows for a fast and accurate service that can be accessed easily from any device within seconds. It only requires two selfies and an ID photo either retrieved via NFC technology, or captured using the mobile camera, to check the user’s presence in real-time and prevent identity fraud.

**Next Level eIDAS, KYC & AML regulatory compliance**

Trust and security do not stop at on-boarding. As a certified Trust Service Provider (TSP), Digidentity offers a full range of digital identity services that are compliant with a variety of regulations such as KYC, 5AMLD and eIDAS. BioID’s integration brings the service to the next level by means of a frictionless, automated user journey throughout the entire identity lifecycle.

Marcel Wendt, CTO of Digidentity: “We are proud to partner with BioID in supporting GOV.UK Verify during this unprecedented situation in completing critical remote identity verification. We offer organisations an easy and secure way to verify their users. Part of the verification is the ‘selfie check’ where we check if the selfie sent to us is the same as the photo on the chip of the ID document. By working together with BioID, we can further automate this process, providing a face-to-face level of assurance with liveness detection and making sure the person on the other side is really who they say they are with facial recognition.”

**About BioID**

BioID offers liveness detection, facial authentication & identity verification as a Service. With 20 years of experience its special focus is on biometric anti-spoofing Made in Germany. In line with this, the company’s facial authentication service offers data privacy and security by design. BioID is guided by the vision to enable software based biometric verification - with any device, for any application. The privately held company with R&D based in Germany has proven its technology through many years of use at enterprises, banks and government organizations.

**About Digidentity**

Digidentity is a global online identity verification company, combining smooth usability with government-grade security. Digidentity is part of Solera Holdings, Inc., a global leader in risk and asset management data and software solutions for the insurance and automotive industries. Last year alone, Digidentity’s technology processed over 300 million authentications and protected the digital identity of more than 20 million people globally. It makes online identification easier, quicker, and more secure. We enable safe digital communication between individuals and government - both in the United Kingdom and The Netherlands - and are continuously developing new and improved services. Our rigorous approach to privacy and security means that not even Digidentity employees will be able to access your data.

**Contact**

BioID GmbH Digidentity/Solera

Ann-Kathrin Freiberg +49 911 9999 898 0 [press@bioid.com](mailto:press@bioid.com) [www.bioid.com](https://www.bioid.com/)

Digidentity/SoleraOlivia Logan +1 817 961 2114 [mediainquiry@solera.com](mailto:mediainquiry@solera.com) [www.digidentity.eu](https://www.digidentity.eu/)

BioID liveness detection automates Digidentity’s identity proofing for GOV.UK Verify

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We firmly believe that your digital identity should be in your control, safe and yours to use as a basic human right. You must be able to connect securely to the products and services you want at a time that is convenient to you. You should have the controls to share and revoke information about you for a multitude of use cases as well as approve and sign documents online. Our work supporting the core national identity infrastructures in the Netherlands and UK has allowed us to build a robust and scalable system that can operate globally connecting citizens and organisations securely and conveniently in real-time.

In the past weeks we have seen and felt the power of COVID-19. Influencing the world economies and directly impacting daily life for billions of people. A lot of people are now asked and/or forced to work from home. Use of online services have seen a steep rise and the strain that comes with that. And yes, this includes us…

**The ID verification challenge is in the details**

Digidentity’s services are compliant to the eIDAS Regulation and subject to external certification. As a service supplier and ID broker we know what is needed to equip anyone with a proper, certified and internationally accepted Digital ID. To obtain a digital identity, you have to meet the requirements defined and pass a series of verification checks. This includes supplying evidence that confirm your identity. We check this evidence with authoritative sources such as government databases and Interpol to ensure your data is correct and that someone is not impersonating you. This includes ID validation and photo comparisons.

**Scale to the max**

On an average week day we process 6.000 – 8.000 identities in the UK market. In the last two weeks we have seen peak volumes of 100.000 – 125.000 new users per day. Today we have a system that enables us to onboard 250 identities per minute… and we are working to increase our performance. This unprecedented rise brought on many new challenges that no one could have expected or predict

We had to introduce a virtual waiting line. Scale our Amazon, cloud-based systems 44 times. Adjust processes and improve the flow. We developed and implemented online training for 70+ people across locations in Europe to process all manual checks. We made sure our partners weren’t overloaded when we were ready to accelerate. Our tech and development teams have worked have worked 24/7 to get this done in record time. Nevertheless, people had to wait for long periods, sometimes for 3-4 days to get verified.

This inspired us to go beyond the current platform and find new ways to support our customers and users. One such way was to accelerate the development of NFC support (read the NFC chip of your ID with your mobile phone). This implementation will optimize our registration process for most of the new customers onboarding on our systems: reducing friction, making the process faster and more secure.

**Human touch**

We have seen many responses from people feeling the pain of waiting a long time and being unsure if they could get verified and connect to Universal Credit. Our partners in the UK team at DWP have seen their share of pressure too. In a normal week they would see 55.000 calls whereas in one day whereas in March they received 2.2 million calls alone. Dealing with this level of demand is not physically possible for any organisation

**Summary**

We are very much aware we are not there yet. Digidentity has learned a lot and evolved its platform quickly to become much more flexible and capable to deal with large numbers of people using our services. We continue to learn and test new ways to support our customers. Some of these new innovations need a bit more time for evaluation and implementation. We will focus not only on the technical side of these challenges but also in other areas of our operation. Through our dedicated service desk, we will find more ways to inform and engage with our users more effectively and more frequently. The past weeks have inspired us and brought us to the heart of our mission. Helping you being the digital you, for everyone to use.

Digidentity commitment to our customers during COVID

Due to the impact of COVID-19 measures on the need for verified ID services, our company has been experiencing an unprecedented increase of traffic.

Dear (new) customer,

Due to the impact of COVID-19 measures on the need for verified ID services, our company has been experiencing an unprecedented increase of traffic. We are doing everything possible to service all existing and new customers to the best of our ability.

To make sure we can process all requests, we have implemented a virtual waiting room. This will cause some delay for a portion of our users, but this will guarantee that all people that get access to a well running process.

We will minimize the time needed to access our services as much as possible and monitor the overall impact of this new procedure. We are committed to removing the waiting room, as soon as it is no longer required.

Notice of high traffic

At the Government Digital Service (GDS) our mission is to help government work better for everyone. Through digital transformation we want to put more power in the hands of citizens. And by helping government be more effective and efficient, we save money for taxpayers.
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This digital transformation means several things. It means building new digital channels that let people easily access services like applying for a new passport, updating their driving licence or checking their state pension.

It means building digital skills and capability across the civil service through initiatives like the GDS Academy so government is equipped for the future. And it also means sorting out the fundamental drivers that will allow all this transformation to happen.

One of these drivers is digital identity - letting people prove they are who they say they are online. Over the past years we've been working closely with partners across government to develop the digital identity platform GOV.UK Verify to address this.

Verify is now mature enough for us to take it to the next stage - opening it up beyond the public sector for the private sector to take the lead.

Here’s how that will work.

**GOV.UK Verify so far**

[GOV.UK Verify went live in May 2016](https://identityassurance.blog.gov.uk/2016/05/19/gov-uk-verify-update-on-progress-were-ready-to-go-live/) and is now used by organisations across government to help users do things like [check their personal tax account](https://www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account) and [view or share their driving licence information](https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence).
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It works by letting users prove their identity to a trusted partner company.

The company asks some questions to establish the user’s identity. It’ll check these against records held by mobile phone providers, credit agencies, the Passport Office or the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. It will then confirm the user’s identity to the government service they are using.

This process means information about users is not stored in one place and there's no unnecessary sharing of information. Furthermore, all identity providers have to meet government and international standards for security and data protection.

So far nearly 3 million people have created a GOV.UK Verify account and have performed more than 7.5 million secure transactions with government.

Through Verify, the UK is recognised as a global leader in digital identity. The model has been emulated and used by governments around the world, from the USA to the European Union.

**Working with the private sector**

The standards and guidelines which currently underpin the way Verify works will now be opened up to the private sector to build on.

Through these standards and guidelines, GDS and government will ensure there is trust and confidence in the emergent digital identity market. And the private sector will invest to ensure the success of the market, bringing in even more innovation and forward-thinking solutions.

We are taking this approach because we know digital identity is an issue across the whole economy. In the UK alone, identity fraud costs the government between £1 billion and £4 billion a year. And it costs the UK economy between £5 billion and £14 billion.

**Using Verify for government services**
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While the private sector works on new developments, GOV.UK Verify will continue to protect public-sector digital services from identity fraud and other malicious activity. We’ve signed new contracts with 5 private sector identity providers, who will support Verify over the next 18 months.

Users can choose any one of these 5 certified companies to verify their identity online: Barclays, Digidentity, Experian, Post Office and SecureIdentity. People who have Verify accounts with other companies can still use their accounts for the next 12 months, while they set up accounts with the current certified companies.

To keep Verify affordable for government, we're using a tiered pricing system to reduce the cost the government will pay the providers over the 18-month period. As the number of users increases, the cost for government will go down. We are working to get to a position where Verify is cost-neutral for government and sustainable and self-supporting.

And we’ve been working hard to ensure the providers we're working with are, along with the rest of the private sector, empowered to develop commercial solutions that will benefit users and government.

**Identity assurance for the future**

We want GOV.UK Verify to be the foundation for identity platforms that can be used across the public and private sectors. For example, the same digital identity platform that helps you check your state pension could in the future help you check your savings account too.

This approach means Verify will continue to protect public-sector digital services. And it means that the private sector will be empowered to develop affordable identity assurance services that will meet all of our future private and public-sector needs. It enables a long-term, sustainable solution.

It means people can continue to use online services safely, securely and with the knowledge that a whole ecosystem of public and private partners are working to make their experience - and their lives - even easier.

Source: [Website UK Government Digital Services](https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2018/10/11/taking-gov-uk-verify-to-the-next-stage/)

Taking GOV.UK Verify to the next stage

Today we are proud to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Digidentity was founded exactly ten years ago by founder and CTO, Marcel Wendt. Starting with only one developer, the company now has 70 employees working in the office next to Hollands Spoor train station in The Hague.

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>Marcel Wendt: “Doing business and maintaining contacts takes place more and more online; this saves (travelling) time and thus costs. That is why secure logins, conducting business online, being certain that the party you are dealing with is who they say they are, and working with digital signatures have become increasingly important.”

>Our milestones - how did we get there?

- 2010: After two years of intensive collaboration with the Dutch government, Digidentity brought out eHerkenning, a digital identity for Dutch employees who communicate with the government.
- 2012: Digidentity developed the software for DigiD, the Dutch digital authentication system for government and public services.
- 2014: After two years of collaboration with the UK government, Digidentity became one of the certified companies to provide a digital identity for British citizens, through the service GOV.UK Verify.
- 2015: Digidentity was officially accredited as a broker and identity provider of the Dutch Idensys identity framework. The company is thereby the first recognised identity provider of Idensys and has started connecting with suppliers across various industries.
- 2016: Digidentity was acquired by Solera Inc.
- 2017: Digidentity started a pilot with the US and Canadian government to move away from KBV/KBA (Knowledge Based Verification and Authentication).
- 2018: Digidentity earned accreditation in the Netherlands as a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) under eIDAS (electronic identification, authentication and trust services), the updated EU regulation standard for trusted electronic identification and transactions across the European Union. In the same year Digidentity started implementing relying parties in Germany, France and Italy.
**Marcel Wendt:** “What will the next ten years bring us? First of all, health data is very personal and has to be protected. Augmented Healthcare is coming, but what role will identity have in this space? "

We are sure the next ten years will be just as exciting!

10th anniversary of Digidentity

As far as we are concerned, there can be no ambiguity about privacy. That is why we have rewritten the Privacy Policy in clearer language. You can now also see for each activity what data we collect, why, and how long we store your data.

You can read the updated Privacy Policy here.

We've also updated our Terms & Conditions.

We encourage you to read both documents in full. If you have any questions about these changes, please take a look at the FAQs. For questions not addressed by the FAQs, do reach out to us using the contact information provided in the privacy policy.

Thank you for your trust!

Updates to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Maintaining trust and security are two fundamental factors for ensuring consumers and businesses continue using electronic identification methods. This is ever more important in an age of online fraud and when more and more young people are active online.

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Electronic identification is the focus of the first newsletter of 2018 of the [EGBA (the European Gaming and Betting Association)](http://www.egba.eu/). More and more consumers are seeing the benefits of using electronic identification when shopping online or accessing public services. But maintaining trust and security are two fundamental factors for ensuring consumers and businesses continue using electronic identification methods. This is ever more important in an age of online fraud and when more and more young people are active online.

Marcel Wendt, our CTO and founder of Digidentity, was interviewed for their newsletter. He explains how our service works in practice, and its benefits for both consumers and businesses.

Read (the whole article in) the newsletter: [http://www.egba.eu/media/EGBA-Newsletter-March-2018.pdf](http://www.egba.eu/media/EGBA-Newsletter-March-2018.pdf)

Online betting and gaming: the only risks are intentional...

Nearly the full 100 percent of Dutch citizens leave a drag trail of identities on the internet. For instance, when we make purchases at web shops or are networking online. That is not always secure. Fraudsters are keeping an eye out for your personal data. That is why service provider Digidentity was founded almost ten years ago: to better protect the digital identity and making online life more secure.

The internet is less than twenty years old, but its rise has engendered an unbridled growth of the amount of data. The chances of total data chaos are very much evident. After all: consumer data is being stored in all corners of the internet, while those consumers have no idea what data is actually stored and what happens to it. An additional factor playing a role is that in May next year, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enters into force. That is quite a mouth full. What it amounts to, is that consumers are given control over their own data. “And it is certain that the business community is insufficiently aware of that”, says Marcel Wendt, CTO and founder of Digidentity. “Businesses and web shops that fail to prepare for GDPR could end up with serious problems. Among other things, the new regulation prescribes that businesses and web shops are to handle the consumer's identity with great care. For instance, it is no longer possible to end customers unsolicited e-mails. Anyone who fails to comply with the rules, runs the risk of being fined up to 20 million euros.”

**Deciding for yourself who can access your data under what conditions**

Digidentity sets out to give the right to digital self-determination back to the users. That may sound a bit complex, but what it comes down to in practice is that there is a kind of digital safe that securely stores personal data. Anyone who wants to use his or her digital identity, for instance to take out an insurance or apply for a building permit, can open that safe. This is simply done by scanning a QR code, following which you receive a (push) message on your smartphone. So, no more hassle with passwords. The system has been secured in such a way that even Digidentity staff cannot access your digital identity inside the safe.

**Secure and reliable for both parties**

Marcel Wendt: “The must be a 100-percent security and reliability on both sides. The providing party, such as an insurer, the Dutch Tax Authorities or the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, wants to be certain that you are who you say you are. And the user wants a 100-percent guarantee that his personal data is in safe hands. It's our job to guard that process.” That is why ballots take place on both sides. The providing party goes through a process to prove it can sufficiently protect this personal data. And consumers or businesses that want to purchase a service, must at one point present identity evidence. To this end, they need to submit proof of identity, for instance a passport or proof of registration at the Chamber of Commerce. eHerkenning provides an organisation with that assurance and allows the user to log on with a single eHerkenning token. The providing party can choose from different levels of assurance. For instance, a lower level is meant for logging on to a platform only, while the higher variant is better suitable for business secrets and (changing) personal data.

**Prominent customers**

In spite of its importance, the business sector is still largely unacquainted with this matter. However, Digidentity manages to promote this importance better and better, and this is borne out by its wide variety of prominent customers. It includes various government agencies, at both local and international level op. For instance, Digidentity supports the British government's GOV.UK Verify system, which is comparable to Dutch DigiD. The American government and large German organisations are also part of its clientele.

**2018 important year in the field of identity management**

Digidentity predicts that next year may become an important watershed. After all, the new GDPR enters into force (28 May 2018), while a further regulation (eIDAS) is added in September. From then on, citizens and businesses from other EU countries need to be able to log on at Dutch government agencies using their own national login token. This is to make it easier to manage affairs at European level. That is why these organisations must adhere to the eHerkenning scheme before September next.


>“Doing business and maintaining contacts takes place more and more digitally. This saves (travelling) time and thus costs. That is why secure logons, conducting business online, being certain that the party you are dealing with is who he says he is and working with digital signature become increasingly important. Because of these developments and the fast-growing clientele, we currently have a lot of vacancies”, Marcel Wendt concludes.

Digidentity gives digital identity back to the users

Digidentity, a leading identity service provider, announces a collaboration with Intel to provide native Universal Second Factor (U2F) support into Windows operating systems powered by 8th Generation Intel® Core™ processors.

THE HAGUE, 13 September 2017 – Digidentity, a leading identity service provider, announces a collaboration with Intel to provide native Universal Second Factor (U2F) support, as created by the [FIDO Alliance](https://fidoalliance.org/), embedded into Windows operating systems powered by 8th Generation Intel® Core™ processors. The solution enables easier and more secure website access—for example, for British citizens accessing the [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/) website that is home to every government department and agency in the United Kingdom.

In 2016, for the first time, consumers reported making [the majority of their purchases](https://fortune.com/2016/06/08/online-shopping-increases/) online. Businesses now also perform many of their operational and marketing tasks online. But the risks of doing any kind of business online, ranging from disruption of operations to identity theft, have only multiplied with time. Digidentity enables safe digital communications between individuals, companies, and governmental agencies, making your online life simpler and safer by enabling secure and verified digital identities for everyone. Digidentity is continuously developing new and improved services; that's why Digidentity is proud to announce the enablement of U2F.

**Enabling U2F**

U2F is an open standard for two-factor authentication tokens that enables internet users to securely access any number of online services ‒ with one single device ‒ instantly, using public key cryptography. U2F is widely considered one of the most secure authentication standards available, as it helps secure logins, prevent phishing attacks, and prevent adversaries from stealing user credentials, while also providing privacy assurances to the user. Digidentity has deployed this technology to enable users to log in more securely, with less friction, via two-factor authentication.

**Two-factor authentication**

As two-factor authentication becomes more widely adopted, it is critical that organizations move away from less secure secondary authentication methods such as one-time passwords (OTP) or SMS text messages. Two-factor authentication implements strong security–strong authentication, using public key cryptography that protects against phishing, session hijacking, man-in-the-middle, and malware attacks.

**How does it work?**

Intel® Online Connect is an internal security key that enables U2F. Once initialized, a simple on-screen security check will deploy each time you log in. A pop-up window will appear and ask you to click on a small button within a specific time frame. The button will appear on the screen in a different place each time you log in, which verifies that you are present at your computer. Click the button, and your second factor authentication is enabled. With your internal security key now active, your account is more secure. The pop-up window is invisible to remote hackers attempting to access your account, preventing them from completing this required security step.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Intel to integrate this new technology into our products. With a quick online process, the user's identity is verified and the data is encrypted to safeguard a user's privacy. We deliver security through identity,” said Marcel Wendt, Digidentity CTO and co-founder.

“Intel is committed to providing consumers with simpler and more secure ways to protect their online logins, and we're delighted to collaborate with Digidentity to make FIDO-compliant U2F available to users,” said Rick Echevarria, Vice President, Software and Services Group and General Manager, Platform Security Division.

**About Digidentity**

[Digidentity](https://www.digidentity.eu/en/home/) develops services focused on a unique digital identity, where the user and their privacy are key. Digidentity is also a supplier of SSL certificates and qualified digital signatures. Digidentity provides national digital identity solutions to the Dutch and British governments, as well as solutions for a large variety of organizations. Our technology provides identities to more than 12 million Europeans, Digidentity executes more than 150 million secure online transactions per year between people, organizations, and governments.

Founded in 2008, Digidentity is privately held in The Netherlands. For more information, please visit [www.digidentity.eu](https://www.digidentity.eu/).

**Media Contact**

Marcel Wendt (CTO Digidentity) [mwendt@digidentity.eu](mailto:mwendt@digidentity.eu)

Digidentity announces safer, easier online protection with U2F authentication

Identification verification service Digidentity has partnered with recently-launched mortgage technology platform Smartr365 to provide fast and safe digital ID verification.
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Digidentity is used by the UK government and offers internet users their own online identity.

The Digidentity technology is embedded within the Smartr365 platform and provides fast identification so financial advisers are able to move quickly through the mortgage application processes.

Conor Murphy, director of Smartr365 and Capricorn Financial, a mortgage brokerage for high-net-worth clients, said: "We're delighted to be partnering with Digidentity to be able to offer our advisers new software that will benefit them and their customers.

"We scanned the market for the best identification verification processes and Digidentity were an easy choice to make. Customer security is the cornerstone of the Smartr365 solution.

"Recently, we announced a partnership with Callcredit, further enhancing the service the Smartr365 platform provides and Callcredit is able to offer comprehensive affordability insight enabling us to build a more complete and timely picture of an applicant.

"From there our advisers can check the value of their client's home to make sure the deal fits from that perspective too, and then submit the application to the lender and to the relevant solicitor.

"The adviser, client and any introducer involved, can track the progress of the application right through to completion. This massively shortens the time taken to process a mortgage, whilst also removing most of the pitfalls from the process and increasing the likelihood of completion.

"We have used the Smartr365 platform for many years within Capricorn and the addition of the Digidentity functionality to this is a major game-changer for us."


>[Marcel Wendt](https://nl.linkedin.com/in/mwendt), founder and CTO of Digidentity, added: "With our passion for innovation we are delighted to become part of the Smartr365 technology platform. Our goal is to simplify everyone's online life together with Smartr365 to empower better financial decisions and planning for their clients."

Digidentity provides ID verification service for Smartr365

WESTLAKE, Texas, Jan. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Solera Holdings, Inc., a global leader in data and software for automotive, home ownership and personal identity management, today announced it has acquired 100% ownership of Digidentity B.V., a leading provider of next-generation technologies that secure and authenticate online identities.
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"In today's hyper-connected world, identity verification will become an increasing part of every transaction, allowing more confidence and transparency about who really is on the other end," said [Tony Aquila](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyaquila), Solera's Founder, Chairman and CEO.

Digidentity first received an early-stage venture capital investment from Solera in 2010 and today provides digital identity verification solutions for many of the world's most influential brands and organizations, including the governments of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

"Digidentity has assembled a team of leading engineers and scientists, who have developed one of the industry's most innovative security and authentication systems," continued Aquila. "This is why we've backed the company since its early stage. Digidentity not only augments our existing identity management solutions such as Explore Data, but also helps proliferate our global mission to help manage and protect the assets that are most important to our lives: our cars, our homes and our identities."

"Our passion for innovation aligned very naturally with Solera's mindset and culture," said [Marcel Wendt](https://nl.linkedin.com/in/mwendt), Chief Technology Officer and Founder of Digidentity. "It is that mindset and Solera's culture of rapid innovation that will continue to define ground-breaking advances in digital identity protection."

The company's high-assurance validation and authentication systems create secure environments for digital transactions across industries that include banking and insurance, transportation and logistics, government services, regulatory affairs, and electronic commerce. Solera will leverage Digidentity's proprietary technology stack in service and solutions that address the rising security concerns around connected cars, smart homes and IoT devices; as well as Solera's expanding risk and asset management solutions for the automotive and home lifecycle ecosystems.

**About Solera**

Founded and continuously led by inventor and entrepreneur Tony Aquila, Solera is a global leader in digital technologies that manage and protect life's most important assets: our cars, homes and identities. Since its inception in 2005 as a garage-based startup, Solera has grown aggressively with over 40 acquisitions across its Risk Management Solutions, Service Maintenance & Repair, and Customer Retention Management platforms. The company's current product solutions include Audatex, AutoPoint, CAP/HPI, Digidentity, Enservio, Explore Data, Hollander, Identifix, Inpart, LYNX and TitleTec, as well as the company's flagship Digital Garage application. Today, Solera processes over 240 million transactions annually for approximately 200,000 partners and customers in 80+ countries. Unified by a strong culture that values uncommon entrepreneurial thinking and continuous "do-it-different" innovation, Solera's global workforce of 6,000+ associates comes from diverse forward-thinking industries that include automotive technology, artificial intelligence, software development, data sciences, cybersecurity, cognitive design, and digital identity protection. Solera went public on the NYSE in 2007 under the stock symbol "SLH", joined the S&P 400 in 2009, and went private in 2016 in a $6.5 billion transaction backed by leading investors that include Vista Equity Partners, Koch Industries and Goldman Sachs. For more information, please visit [www.solera.com](http://www.solera.com/), [fb.com/solerainnovation](https://fb.com/solerainnovation), or @soleraworks on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/soleraworks) and [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/soleraworks).

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit: [http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/solera-holdings-inc-acquires-100-ownership-of-digidentity-300395521.html](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/solera-holdings-inc-acquires-100-ownership-of-digidentity-300395521.html)

Solera Holdings, Inc. Acquires 100% Ownership of Digidentity

Internet security is just like the security of your home. You can have the best lock on your door, but if you leave the keys lying around then burglars can still get in. This is why I am giving you some tips to protect yourself from pickpockets, fraudsters and criminals online.

**Tip 1. Choose a strong password**

Speaking about locks: maybe that sounds like an open door, but we see too many times the Smiths of this world choosing a password such as smith01. It's understandable but easy to crack. This password is also numerically not very strong. The strength of a password is related to the possible number of combinations you can make with your chosen characters. The longer the password and the greater the number of characters you use (letters, capitals, numbers and symbols), then the stronger your password. SM!t4)@! is a better alternative.

**Tip 2. Manage more than one password**

For every account choose a different password. If one account is cracked then at least the rest are still safe. However, the more passwords you have the more difficult it becomes to remember them. Many people write them up in a book, with pin codes and alarm codes. Risky. Leaving the book on the train? Rather choose an online password manager, which is a sort-of safe where you can save all of your passwords. Examples of these are 1Password or LastPass, where you need to only remember one password to open the safe. [1 Password](https://agilebits.com/) [LastPass](https://lastpass.com/)

**Tip 3. Choose another logging in method**

At many banks you need to do extra things to log in. You may need to put your bank card in a card reader to retrieve a code, or you may receive a SMS to your mobile phone. These methods are called 2-step verification and it's gaining popularity. Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and Idensys (the successor of DigiD) all support this - a secondary security step. A really handy solution for this is Yubikey: a key that has the appearance of a USB Stick. You insert it into your computer, press on it and then you are logged in. [Yubico](https://www.yubico.com/products/yubikey-hardware/)

**Tip 4. Update your software**

The simplest manner to remain secure when using the Internet is to update your software. This of course also counts for your security software. If there are hacks in software programs then software companies make new updates to fix the issue, sometimes within a few days. If you have a legally downloaded version of software, then these updates are free. You can also set your computer to update automatically, then you don't need to check and look for this.

**Tip 5. Watch out for unsolicited emails**

Emails which promise to make you a millionaire with a mouse click? Of course you won't fall for that. If you receive emails from your bank and it's full of spelling mistakes, you wouldn't fall for that either. However, these so-called 'phishing' emails are looking more legitimate and 'real' and making it harder to spot. The rule of thumb is never to open emails which make suspicious requests. Be careful with strange attachments which arrive from your friends also, it could be that these have been sent by a hacker using their email address to send viruses.

**Tip 6. Always lock your computer screen**

So, I am halfway through my list. Maybe you want to get a coffee or stretch your legs? Then don't just walk away from your desk, it's important to first lock your computer, and definitely if you are in a study area or a flexible workplace with strangers. At Digidentity it is the golden rule - or even a purple-pink one. Colleagues who forget to lock their screen and leave their desk win a disputable trophy - a My Little Pony on their desk.

**Tip 7. Be careful using free WiFi**

Maybe you are doing it now - enjoying your favourite bar and the free WiFi connection. Nothing wrong with that, but be aware that all of your data usage can be intercepted. Therefore, be careful with what you do. Hackers can see the password you type in.

**Tip 8. Don't make an account on the local baker's site**

The latest antivirus software, firewalls, complex passwords, 2-step verification - you can use the Internet so safely, but you are also dependent on others. Think about the local bookshop or the lovely hotel across border which are now offering online services. Handy, but are your personal details really in safe hands? All too often these small websites are a piece-of-cake for hackers to break open.

**Tip 9. Double check the websites you visit**

Needing to do a small online payment, after you have read this article? Take this last minute tip - check if the site you are visiting is really from a bank. This you do first by checking the website address (URL). Is the name of the bank correctly spelled? Do you see the closed padlock in the top left of the screen? That padlock shows that the website is secured with a certificate, and then you know you can do business with your bank safely.

**Tip 10. Be careful with what you share**

Lastly the most important tip - use the Internet alertly. Don't click on everything that moves, but think before using a specific link or website. If you visit a website think about if you find using cookies ok. Are you registering yourself somewhere? Check the terms and conditions and check what it means to your privacy. Maybe you find it ok that your details could be shared and used by 3rd parties, it is up to you. Don't do anything stupid but don't be paranoid. The majority of cyber criminals aren't that interested in you.

Bye bye cybercriminals - 10 tips to protect your privacy online

Together with PAZIO Digidentity have become the first in The Netherlands to offer the login for Idensys High. Through this it is possible to meet demands from the Government - to provide citizens with safer and more secure logins for the health sector. The new login from Digidentity has been available since November 16th 2016.

PAZIO provides a platform for eHealth in the health sector, which combines online services and portals for the healthcare consumer. With PAZIO the user gets online access to all of their health and welfare related services through one portal. PAZIO is a leader in the area of authentication for health services, and have been positive regarding the developments in Idensys. PAZIO have taken Digidentity, as the first provider, into production and thus Digidentity remain at the forefront of developments and implementation on a daily basis.

Digidentity were also the first provider of any Idensys login, starting in December 2015. In November the highest level of assurance for Idensys become possible. With this high level of Idensys, organisations within healthcare will be able to satisfy all criteria (as well as new criteria) surrounding electronic data.

**New requirements from the cabinet**

The minister of internal affairs has stated that from the end of 2018 every citizen should be able to register for a higher level of assurance to obtain online access to their medical details. This has been written within a cabinet letter, where he announced that the so-named BSN-Domain (National Registration Number) requires the highest level of assurance in many instances.

**From DigID to Idensys**

Within the BSN-Domain the cabinet want to make the official online authentication more modern and secure. The existing solution will be replaced by Idensys, the new platform for online identification. The requirements dictated a new platform where strict security measures could be met with a user-friendly process. With the products “Idensys Substantial” and “Idensys High” Digidentity were able to satisfy the requirements.

**Implementation started**

The cabinet has already started rolling out the new login method. The tax office service (Belastingdienst) and the healthcare sectors are already active. The new products from Digidentity also have a broader use. They are also compatible with eHerkenning (eHerkenning), where the product can be used for business purposes. Besides this, the products would also be able to replace the UZI-pas, Defensiepas (Military), Rijkspas (Government), Notarispas (Notary), Advocatenpas (Lawyer) and many other initiatives. With the products from Digidentity it is also possible to reduce costs, to manage and control resources and to do preparation in line for eIDAS, the European version of the system. On top of that users can choose within Idensys which party they would like to purchase a product from.

**About Digidentity**

The Dutch company Digidentity takes a main role in the area of digital identitification. Digidentity developed DigID for the Dutch Government, and are also active in the Dutch authentication systems eHerkenning (eHerkenning) and Idensys. In the UK Digidentity are a market leader in delivering the platform GOV.UK Verify system.

First login for highest level Idensys in use

It's December. We're unwrapping presents; millions of presents at once. More often we are ordering online. December is a bleak month, so doing Christmas shopping online with a cup of coffee in hand seems like the best option. But how do you protect yourself from fraud? Or protect yourself from cyber criminals shopping with your money? Here are 7 tips to ensure your online shopping experience remains festive!

**Tip 1. Be Careful for Suspect web addresses**

One of the first indications of a secure web shop is in the URL box of your browser. You may see the name of a familiar company there. But double check there isn't a reference such as '-sale', '-deals' or '-discount' in the address. A lot of the time these point to a false web shop run by scammers. If you are ever unsure then check out the reviews of the web shop, for example comparison sites. If you read enough negative feedback about people losing their money, then you know enough.

**Tip 2. Shop Around**

So, after checking the website address there were no alarm bells ringing. Great! But there is still room for caution. Look around and see whether you trust the web shop, before you put an item in your basket. Is the website neat? Are the prices of the articles in the right price range, and not artificially cheap? Logos or guarantees on websites can provide some of the extra assurance you need.

**Tip 3. Look for Contact Information**

For web shops there are legal requirements. The address of the company, contact details, VAT number and the Chamber of Commerce number will be visible. Are you just seeing an email address or chat button? You can just take it that there is something about this web shop that isn't right. Look for the details.

**Tip 4. Read the Terms and Conditions**

As an online shopper you have rights. Web shops must handle your personal details with care. A privacy statement should be available, explaining how your details are handled according to legal requirements. Also be sure to check the general terms, such as payment terms. Before you pay for items check the total amount, therefore, check if the price is including taxes, delivery costs and other costs like packaging.

**Tip 5. Make Use of a Secure Website**

So, you have enough assurances available that the web shop is real. But you aren't out of the woods yet. Cyber criminals can still run off with your data, and definitely if you are providing sensitive information like your personal details, password or credit card details. Be certain that you are using a secured website. In the URL box of the website address you should see 'https' instead of 'http'. In lots of browsers you will also see a small padlock icon. If you click on the padlock you can view the certificate of the website and check it.

**Tip 6. Paying Safely**

You can choose from many different methods to pay online. Every method has its advantages and disadvantages. In The Netherlands we use iDEAL, which directs you to your own bank during the transaction. With this method it isn't possible to pay after you have received the item, so getting your money back is sometimes difficult. AfterPay offers the possibility of paying once your goods are received in good order. With PayPal you can take a certain degree of assurance and benefit from payment protection. It's always handy to save the confirmation of your payment and order, or print it off. By doing this you can check the payment against your bank statement.

**Tip 7. Not Happy? Send it Back**

As an online shopper you have the right to return your purchase without reason. In The Netherlands you have 14 days “thinking” time, like a cooling-off period. For example, you neatly unpack some clothes you purchase online, you try them on, and they don't fit. You can send them back. Of course, you can't really use items like shoes, jumpers and jackets in 14 days. There are also items you cannot return, such as perishables, items especially made to your requirements, or CDs and DVDs where you have broken the security seal. Always check the return policy.

Already done your shopping? [Read my blog about tips for online privacy.](https://www.digidentity.eu/nl/Bye-bye-cybercriminals/)

7 Tips for Safe Online Shopping

At Digidentity we are all about being online. But an old fashioned book for the long December evenings? That remains a necessity. Here are some tips to pass onto Father Christmas.

**Komt een vrouw bij de h@cker (Dutch Edition, translation is 'A woman visits the h@cker')**

Journalist Maria Genova dips into the world of hacking and learns how easy it is to break into online systems. [Read our interview with her.
](https://www.digidentity.eu/en/article/Maria-Genova-on-her-book-komt-een-vrouw-bij-de-hacker/)

[On Bol.com](https://www.bol.com/nl/p/true-crime-komt-een-vrouw-bij-de-hacker/9200000022439330/)

**Je hebt wel iets te verbergen (Dutch Edition, translation is 'You have something to hide')**

Authors Martijn Maurits and Dimitri Tokmetzis write about how privacy as a right is slowly being eradicated.

[On Bol.com](https://www.bol.com/nl/p/je-hebt-wel-iets-te-verbergen/9200000063121305/)

**The Circle**

Known romantic Dave Eggers writes about how a company such as Google or Facebook can take over our life.[ I have also written a blog about this.](https://www.digidentity.eu/en/article/How-we-are-ending-up-step-by-step-in-The-Circle/)

[On Amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/Circle-Dave-Eggers/dp/0345807294)

**The End of Privacy**

Trend watcher Adjiedj Bakas gives an impression of the future, where the Internet and privacy are increasingly at odds with each other.

[On Managementboek.nl](https://www.managementboek.nl/e-book/9789055942251/end-of-privacy-e-book-engels-adjiedj-bakas)

**The Phoenix Project**

George Spafford & Gene Kim: An exciting novel about an impossible IT project, a must-read for every IT professional.

[On Amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Business/dp/0988262592)

Do you need some inspiration for Christmas? - 5 Book tips

Identity fraud. 500 Dutch people experience it every day. A nightmare! For example, you might not just lose your name, you could end up losing control over your bank account. Whoever thinks this could never happen to them should have a chat with Maria Genova. Even better: read her book. In 'Komt een vrouw bij de h@cker' she writes about how vulnerable we all are.

![icon-komt-een-vrouw-bij-de-hacker.webp](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/5adcfeeedb13e4e773f30dd67a382ef5.webp)

**Why did you decide to write the book?**

'I read increasingly more reports about identity fraud. I wondered if all of the victims had been careless. But, after some brief research I found out that it is surprisingly simple to steal someone's identity. I felt the story needed to be told.'

**Have you ever been a victim?**

'Not really. I didn't want to write a book from a victim's perspective, but from my own amazement and to try and open people's eyes. It reads like a true crime novel, with sometimes funny stories. For example, a detainee who was set free because of a fake email. But there are also tragic stories, like the man who ended up with 1700 cars registered to him due to identity fraud. Because of this he lost his benefits, ended up homeless and it took him 17 years to repair the damage and clear his name.'

**Should we be afraid?**

'Take reassurance from the fact you can do a lot to protect your privacy. See it as your own home. Install good locks and then thieves can't break it so quickly. The same principle applies to your computer. Only, lots of people forget to organise protection. Like leaving the doors and windows open.'

**How do you organise better protection?**

'I have 3 important tips. To begin with install software updates. You can do this automatically. Ensure that you use strong passwords for logging in. Thirdly, don't click on phishing links. I frequently receive phishing emails from ING or PostNL. If I click on the links, there is a chance that my computer will be infected with spyware – this will give hackers access to my computer. Also, ransomware – my computer gets blocked, so to gain access again I am required to pay the hacker.'

**So now you can't be hacked?**

'No, hackers can break in everywhere. You just shouldn't make it easy for them. For my book I invited a hacker to break into my computer. He had been convicted, had served his sentence and was still on probation. I thought this was a safe offer – he could hardly cross the line at that moment. I thought I had a well-protected website, but within half an hour he had hacked me.'

**Is hacking so easy to do?**

'Yes, and that is possibly the most worrying. You don't need to be a nerd to do it. Indeed, at the end of the book, myself a digiphobe, I became a hacker, just by following the steps I found on the internet. As a test I hacked the computer of a friend. I could see all of her details, put her webcam on and follow her at home. It was pretty shocking.'

**What were the reactions to your book?**

'Very extraordinary. I never expected that this book would become so popular. I am constantly requested to read for audiences. Companies are ordering my book, sometimes hundreds of copies in one go, such as Kaspersky Lab, developers of security software.'

**What do you tell people during the readings?**

'My readings have the character of a workshop. I try and adapt to the sort of company or organisation, and show the employees the seriousness of hacking. For example, at 44% of town councils there are indications of data leaks. You can hack a nuclear power plant with an iPod. Banks lose vast sums of money through internet crime. I notice that lots of people are shocked. They are reluctant to use the internet, and change passwords and remove their date of birth from Facebook.'

**What do you want to achieve?**

'For me it's about making people aware of security risks. There is too little attention given to it. The Government should give people more tools to protect themselves better. Educate children about cybercrime. Require a "driving licence" for cyber traffic. Also, lots of companies don't do enough. They invest a lot of money in expensive computer systems, but invest little or nothing in awareness sessions for their employees to learn about security and data.'

**Is the problem of cybercrime underestimated?**

'Of course. Take identity fraud. Has your national ID number been leaked? Good luck, because there is very little to help you. Politicians only wake up if it directly affects them, for instance if their details are in the spotlight. Via the Land Registry details are available with a simple SMS. You can request information about an address and everything is visible, the mortgage and payments too.'

**Have you changed because of the book?**

'Yes, I am more alert, without being paranoid. I have organised my security quite well so that I won't easily become a victim of a hacking attempt. For my important files I also have a backup. But still. Recently it almost went wrong. I was in a rush and was waiting for a package to be delivered, and I received an email regarding my delivery. It was a phishing email. In my rush I went to click on the link, but stopped before pressing the button. My mouse hovered over the link, when I saw that it wasn't from PostNL. Hundreds of people are fooled everyday by these fake emails, which use logos from well-known companies, then their computers become locked. For companies the costs are enormous in work hours. This is why it's understandable to invest more in the awareness of employees.'

**Interested in the book?**

Go to: [http://www.mariagenova.nl/komt-vrouw-hcker/](http://www.mariagenova.nl/komt-vrouw-hcker/)

[More book tips](https://www.digidentity.eu/en/article/Do-you-need-some-inspiration-for-Christmas/)

Identiteitsfraude. Per dag krijgen 500 Nederlanders ermee te maken. Een nachtmerrie, want je bent niet alleen je naam kwijt. Maar bijvoorbeeld ook de controle over je bankrekening. Wie denkt dat het hem of haar nooit zal overkomen, moet eens praten met journalist Maria Genova. Of beter: haar boek lezen. Want in 'Komt een vrouw bij een hacker' beschrijft ze hoe vogelvrij we zijn.

**Waarom besloot je het boek te schrijven?**

'Ik las steeds meer berichten over identiteitsfraude. Ik vroeg me af of al die slachtoffers onzorgvuldig waren geweest. Maar na een kort onderzoek kwam ik erachter dat het verrassend simpel is om iemands identiteit te stelen. Ik vond dat dit maar eens verteld moest worden.'

**Ben jij nooit slachtoffer geweest?**

'Niet echt. Ik wilde ook geen boek schrijven als ervaringsdeskundige. Maar meer vanuit mijn eigen verbazing en om mensen de ogen te openen. Het leest als een true crime-roman met soms humoristische verhalen. Bijvoorbeeld van een gedetineerde die dankzij een nepmailtje werd vrijgelaten. Maar vaak ook tragische, zoals van een man die door identiteitsfraude ruim 1.700 auto's op zijn naam kreeg. Daardoor raakte hij zijn uitkering kwijt, kwam op straat te staan en moest 17 jaar procederen om het onrecht ongedaan te maken.'

**Moeten we inderdaad bang zijn?**

'Een geruststelling is dat je heel veel kunt doen om je privacy te beschermen. Vergelijk het met je eigen woning. Zet je er goede sloten op, dan zullen inbrekers niet zo snel binnenkomen. Zo is het met je computer ook. Alleen vergeten veel mensen de beveiliging op orde te brengen. Ze laten bij wijze van spreken de deuren en ramen wagenwijd openstaan.'

**Hoe breng je de beveiliging wel op orde?**

'Ik heb 3 belangrijke tips. Voer om te beginnen updates van je softwareprogramma uit. Dat kun je automatisch doen. Zorg er verder voor dat je sterke wachtwoorden gebruikt om in te loggen. En, dat is 3, klik niet op phishing links. Ik krijg geregeld nepberichten van bijvoorbeeld ING of PostNL. Als ik in die berichten een weblink open, dan bestaat de kans dat ik spyware op mijn computer krijg: hackers hebben dan toegang tot de gegevens op mijn computer. Of ransomware: mijn computer is geblokkeerd, tenzij ik de hacker die erachter zit betaal om weer toegang te krijgen.'

**Dus jij bent niet te hacken?**

'Nee, hackers kunnen overal inbreken. Je moet het ze alleen niet gemakkelijk maken. Voor mijn boek had ik een hacker uitgenodigd om bij mij in te breken. Hij was veroordeeld geweest, had zijn straf uitgezeten en zat nog in zijn proeftijd. Dat leek me een veilig uitgangspunt: hij kon op dat moment moeilijk over de schreef gaan. Ik dacht dat ik mijn website goed had dichtgetimmerd, maar binnen een halfuur had hij 'm gehackt.'

**Is hacken dan zo eenvoudig?**

'Ja, en dat is misschien nog het meest verontrustende. Je hoeft er echt geen nerd voor te zijn. Sterker nog, aan het eind van het boek ben ik, als digibeet, zelf een hacker geworden. Gewoon door stappenplannen op internet te volgen. Zo heb ik bij wijze van proef ingebroken op de computer van een vriendin. Ik kon al haar gegevens inzien, zette haar webcam aan en kon haar thuis volgen. Het was behoorlijk schokkend.'

Hoe zijn de reacties op je boek?
'Heel bijzonder. Ik had nooit verwacht dat dit boek zo populair zou worden. Ik word voortdurend gevraagd voor lezingen. Bedrijven bestellen mijn boek met soms honderden exemplaren tegelijk, zoals Kaspersky Lab, ontwikkelaar van beveiligingssoftware.'

**Wat vertel je tijdens de lezingen?**

'Mijn lezingen hebben het karakter van een workshop. ik pas ze aan op het soort bedrijf of organisatie, en wijs de medewerkers op de ernst van hacken. Dat bij 44 procent van de gemeenten al sprake is van datalekken, bijvoorbeeld. Dat je een kerncentrale met een iPod kan hacken. Of dat banken grote sommen geld zijn kwijtgeraakt door internetcriminaliteit. Ik merk dat veel mensen geschokt zijn. Ze durven nergens meer op te klikken op internet, gaan meteen hun wachtwoorden veranderen en hun geboortedatum van Facebook halen.'

**Wat wil je daarmee bereiken?**

'Het gaat mij erom dat mensen zich bewust zijn van veiligheidsrisico's. Daar wordt nauwelijks aandacht aan besteed. De overheid moet burgers meer handvatten geven om zich goed te beschermen. Laat scholen leerlingen les geven over cybercrime. Voer een rijbewijs in voor het digitaal verkeer. Ook veel bedrijven laten het afweten. Ze steken veel geld in dure computersystemen maar investeringen niet of nauwelijks in awareness-sessies voor medewerkers om veilig met data om te gaan.'

**Is cybercrime een onderschat probleem?**

'Zeker weten. Neem identiteitsfraude. Is je burgerservicenummer uitgelekt? Veel succes, want weinig instanties kunnen je helpen. Politici worden pas wakker als ze er zelf mee te maken hebben. Bijvoorbeeld als blijkt dat hun gegevens in 1 keer op straat komen. Via het Kadaster is dat met een simpel sms'je mogelijk. Je stuurt een informatieverzoek over een adres en iemands hypotheek, de afbetaling: alles is in te zien.'

**Ben je zelf door dit boek veranderd?**

'Ja, ik ben alerter geworden, zonder paranoïde te zijn. Ik heb mijn beveiliging goed geregeld en zal niet snel slachtoffer worden van een niet-gerichte hackpoging. Voor al mijn belangrijke bestanden heb ik bijvoorbeeld een back-up. Maar toch. Laatst ging het bijna mis. Ik had haast, zat op een postpakketje te wachten en daar kwam een bericht over een verzending binnen. Een phishing mail. In de haast wilde ik op het linkje klikken, maar ik hield me op het laatste moment in. Ik ging met mijn muis op de afzender staan en toen zag ik dat het niet van PostNL was. Dagelijks zijn er honderden mensen die in nepmails met logo's van bekende bedrijven trappen. En dan worden hun computers versleuteld. Bij bedrijven is dat vaak een enorme schadepost in arbeidsuren. Daarom is het verstandig om in meer awareness van de medewerkers te investeren.'

**Benieuwd naar het boek?**

Ga naar: [http://www.mariagenova.nl/komt-vrouw-hcker/](http://www.mariagenova.nl/komt-vrouw-hcker/)

[Meer boekentips](https://www.digidentity.eu/nl/article/Inspiratie-nodig-voor-kerst/)

Maria Genova over haar boek 'Komt een vrouw bij de h@cker' 'Computerinbraak is verrassend eenvoudig'

Maria Genova on her book 'Komt een vrouw bij de h@cker' (Translation: 'A woman visits the h@cker')

So, Brexit is a fact. We can say goodbye to Great Britain as a member of the European Union. Great Britain entirely? No, one little island has courageously been resisting the invaders from Brussels for years – to quote Asterix. That island is Jersey, a politically independent island in the English Channel. I recently flew to this special place to discuss a national digital ID system.

![icon-flag-jersey.webp](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/8a79294ab10ba6845f379ff959dfa0ff.webp)

Jersey is like a miniature version of Great Britain. Take this Mini-Britain as you want: an island with its own administration, a Lieutenant Governor (who acts as representative of the Queen), its own elections, its own postage stamps and its own money – The Jersey Pound.

Jersey, along with the other Channel Islands and The Isle of Man, have a special status. They do not belong to the United Kingdom, and they were never a part of the EU. They fall under the British Crown, yet, they are not a crown colony.

**Living Apart Together – LAT Relationship**

An image of my college life. But this introduction is important in order to understand what I had to do in Jersey. As mentioned the island has a LAT relationship with the UK: they are together, and then again they aren't. This island, just like its big neighbour, wants to digitalise its services in order to make things better and more efficient for its citizens.

The British Government have had a good working system for a while: GOV.UK Verify. This online service includes a digital ID-system in order to authenticate each user. Digidentity is one of the builders of this system and a 'trusted network preferred supplier'.

Now the UK will not roll out a decentralised system. Jersey will also not be using this system. Therefore, would this island be better off to set up its own system? Or are there other cheaper solutions for this place, which doesn't even have 100,000 in its population.

With this question in mind I was invited to Jersey. Together with other service providers from GOV.UK Verify, under the flag of the [Open Identity Exchange (OIX)](http://www.openidentityexchange.org/). OIX is a non-profit organisation where services for online identity management are developed and rolled out. The people in Jersey were curious about our experience with the British system.

**Delayed**

So, I stepped into the aeroplane on my way to possibly one of the most charming business destinations. On route to the island something unexpected happened: I delayed.

A direct flight from The Netherlands is not possible. You need to change at London City Airport. I had around 45 minutes to fetch my boarding pass and to get through boarder control. I was actually leaving the EU zone. It went immediately wrong. My first flight was delayed. To make matters worse the airport was overcrowded. My flight was circling endlessly in the air. I begin looking at my watch nervously.

Once I landed at London City Airport I sprinted through the terminal looking for the Blue Islands desk, the company who were arranging my travel. There I got the soothing news: due to the airport being so busy this flight was also delayed. With a more relaxed heart I checked in and eventually took my place in the propeller operated plane.

**Postman Pat**

Blue Islands: the name promises something exotic. On Jersey there is a pleasant climate. It's a small hilly paradise, where time stood still. It's like glimpsing into the world of Postman Pat. Cosy.

When we landed the image of peace on the island was broken. All of the passengers were busy seeking out taxis to bring them to the capital of Saint Helier.

The meeting with the management of the island went quite relaxed. Before me sat men in jumpers instead of suits and ties. But make no mistake. The employees involved in the discussions knew exactly what they were talking about.

**GOV.UK Verify Duplication**

Jersey has been charmed by GOV.UK Verify. With 1 online identity you can safely and easily access and use all available Government services. Could we duplicate the British ID-system was the question? We concluded that large proportions of the system could be. All of the ID-Providers have developed platforms for GOV.UK Verify which could also be used in Jersey.

We found out that the way in which the people of Jersey register themselves requires extra attention. The civil registration and administration system of Jersey is different to that of the United Kingdom. But similarly to the GOV.UK Verify system a hub will also be required, where the Government is connected on one side and the ID-providers on the other. Through our experience with GOV.UK Verify we can implement a live ID-system in Jersey in the foreseeable future. Everyone happy.

Such a good meeting must be celebrated with a good dinner. Fish was on the menu, a recommended dish on the island. We had all the time in the world, the flight was leaving the following day.

**Relax**
 
With pain in my heart I left Jersey the following morning. Another travel delay. Again! This time I missed my connecting flight to Amsterdam. But due to the previous day it didn't make me stressed. I shrugged my shoulders and tried to kill time in the small, boring London City Airport. In the middle of the hectic metropole I was in a Jersey state of mind: fully relaxed. I searched for my jumper and I put it on.

Read [the white paper regarding the development of a digital ID-system for Jersey](http://oixuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SoJ-white-paper-v1.0.pdf).

Zo, de Brexit is een feit. We kunnen afscheid nemen van Groot-Brittannië als lid van de Europese Unie. Heel Groot-Brittannië? Nee, één klein eiland biedt al jaren moedig weerstand aan de overweldigers uit Brussel, om Asterix te parafraseren. Het is Jersey, een staatkundig onafhankelijk eiland in het Kanaal. Onlangs vloog ik naar dit bijzondere oord om over een nationaal digitaal id-systeem te praten.

Jersey is de Madurodamversie van Groot-Brittannië. Noem het Klein-Brittannië als je wilt: een eiland met een eigen bestuur, een luitenant-gouverneur die optreedt als vertegenwoordiger van de Britse koningin, een aantal ministeries, eigen verkiezingen, aparte postzegels en nationaal muntgeld: de Jersey Pound.

Jersey heeft samen met de andere Kanaaleilanden en het eiland Man een speciale status. Ze behoren niet tot het Verenigd Koninkrijk, noch waren ze ooit onderdeel van de EU. Ze vallen onder de Britse Kroon, zonder dat ze een Kroonkolonie zijn.

**Latrelatie**

Tot zo ver mijn college. Maar deze inleiding is belangrijk om te begrijpen wat ik te zoeken had op Jersey. Zoals gezegd heeft het eiland een latrelatie met het Verenigd Koninkrijk: ze horen bij elkaar maar ook weer niet. En het eiland wil graag, net als de grote buur, de service voor burgers efficiënter en beter maken door die te digitaliseren.

De Britse overheid heeft sinds enkele jaren een goed lopend systeem: GOV.UK Verify. Bij deze online service hoort een digitaal id-systeem om elke gebruiker te authenticeren. Digidentity is daarvan een van de bouwers en 'trusted network preferred supplier'.

Nu wil het Verenigd Koninkrijk het systeem niet decentraal uitrollen. Jersey zal er ook geen gebruik van maken. Kan het eiland daarom het beste een eigen systeem opzetten? Of zijn er goedkopere oplossingen voor het kleine landje van nog geen 100 duizend mensen?

Met die vraag werd ik uitgenodigd op het eiland. Samen met andere leveranciers van GOV.UK Verify, onder de vlag van de [Open Identity Exchange (OIX)](http://www.openidentityexchange.org/): een non-profit organisatie waarmee we diensten voor online identiteit ontwikkelen en uitrollen. De Jerseyanen waren benieuwd naar onze ervaringen met het Britse systeem.

**Onthaasten**

Dus stapte ik in het vliegtuig op weg naar misschien wel een van mijn meest charmante zakelijke bestemmingen. En op weg naar het eiland gebeurde iets bijzonders: ik onthaastte.

Een directe vlucht vanuit Nederland is er niet. Je moet overstappen op London City Airport. Daar had ik wel geteld 45 minuten voor, waarbij ik een boardingpas moest scoren en door de douane moest. Ik verliet immers de EU-zone. Maar het ging direct mis. Mijn eerste vlucht had vertraging. Tot overmaat van ramp was het vliegveld overvol. Mijn vliegtuig cirkelde eindeloos in de lucht. Ik begon zenuwachtig op mijn horloge te kijken.

Eenmaal geland rende ik met mijn trolley door de terminal van London City Airport op zoek naar de desk van Blue Islands, de maatschappij die me naar Jersey bracht. Daar kwam het verlossende nieuws: vanwege de drukte op de luchthaven was ook deze vlucht vertraagd. Met een gerust hart checkte ik in en nam even later plaats in het propellervliegtuig.

**Postman Pat**

Blue Islands: de naam belooft een exotisch oord. En terecht. Op Jersey heerst een aangenaam klimaat. Het is een klein, heuvelachtig paradijsje waar de tijd heeft stilgestaan. Het is alsof je de wereld van Postman Pat betreedt. Gemoedelijk.

Even doorbraken we de rust op het eiland. Toen het vliegtuig landde, zochten alle passagiers verwoed een taxi om naar de hoofdstad Saint Helier te gaan.

De meeting bij het bestuur van het eiland ging er ontspannen aan toe. Voor me zaten mannen in truien in plaats van in pakken en dassen. Maar vergis je niet. De betrokken beleidsmedewerkers weten precies waar ze het over hebben.

**GOV.UK Verify dupliceren**

Jersey is gecharmeerd van GOV.UK Verify. Met 1 online identiteit kun je veilig en gemakkelijk van alle overheidsvoorzieningen gebruikmaken. Of we het Britse id-systeem konden dupliceren, was de vraag. We concludeerden dat dit grotendeels mogelijk is. Alle id-providers hebben voor GOV.UK Verify een platform ontwikkeld die ook voor Jersey te gebruiken is.

Wel kwamen we erachter dat de manier waarop de Jerseyaanse burger zich registreert extra aandacht verdient. De basisadministratie op Jersey is namelijk anders opgezet dan in het Verenigd Koninkrijk. Ook moet er een hub komen waarop enerzijds de overheid is aangesloten en anderzijds de id-providers. Maar door onze ervaring met GOV.UK Verify kunnen we binnen afzienbare tijd een id-systeem in Jersey live krijgen. Iedereen blij.

Zo'n goede bespreking moet je natuurlijk vieren met een goed diner. Vis stond op het menu, een aanrader op dit eiland. We hadden alle tijd. Het vliegtuig vertrok pas de volgende dag.

**Relaxt**

Met pijn in mijn hart verliet ik de volgende ochtend Jersey. We hadden vertraging. Wederom. En deze keer miste ik ook echt mijn aansluitende vlucht naar Amsterdam. Maar anders dan de vorige dag maakte ik me niet druk. Ik haalde mijn schouders op en probeerde de tijd te doden op het kleine, saaie London City Airport. Midden in de hectische metropool was ik in een Jersey state of mind: volkomen relaxt. Ik zocht mijn trui op en trok 'm aan.

Lees [de whitepaper over de ontwikkeling van een digitaal id-systeem in Jersey.](http://oixuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SoJ-white-paper-v1.0.pdf)

Nieuw digitaal kanaal voor een Kanaaleiland - I'm in a Jersey State of Mind

New Digital Channels for a Channel Island - I'm in a Jersey State of Mind

You're abroad. After a long day you stretch out on your hotel bed and settle in to watch your favourite Netflix series. Beer to the left, popcorn to the right. That is, until you realise that your viewing package hasn't travelled with you. No subtitles and a whole other line-up. Irritating? Yes, the European Commission think so too.

Whoa, wait a minute. Contrary to what the title seems to suggest, I am not going to give you tips to view your Dutch Netflix account via a back door. I am also not telling you how to view the substantial Netflix line-up from America, (while you are at home in The Netherlands). I am the wrong person to go to for those sort of tips. However, I will mention this briefly.

![icon-netflix.webp](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/8e6c3b721b6c1b3279c7cdfeff2b0d07.webp)

**Licenses per country**

The line-up available in your Netflix account depends on the country. It's linked to the country you are living in. As a Dutchman in the Netherlands you need to be satisfied with a third of the content than an American in America. For some series you can't even see all of the seasons.

The differences are down to royalties. Royalties are in the hands of content providers, such as Sony Pictures Television. These royalties provide a licence for broadcasters, and platforms for online streaming, like Netflix and Amazon. The licences are granted and given per country. This clears up the differences in available content between the USA and The Netherlands.

As a user of Netflix that difference seems a little strange. Why does the country you live in determine what you get to watch? And stranger still, why does the right to see your TV series get removed once you cross a border? Compare this to a camera you bought in The Netherlands, it doesn't lose any functions because you took it with you to France.

**Illegal viewing**

Illegal viewing practices get around the issue. Via a secure VPN connection (Virtual Private Network) it is possible to log in as if you are in the Netherlands, even when you aren't. By this method it is possible to view the Dutch content. Or, even more lucrative, using a VPN connection as if you are in America, providing you with the larger American content while you are in The Netherlands.

Also, using a proxy connection, running via a separate and central computer, you can access the same way as using a VPN connection. But as I understand Netflix now have blocks for these shortcuts. A variety of VPNs are now on the blacklist of Netflix. Users need to find other VPNs in order to make illegal connections to Netflix, until Netflix trace those, and so forth.

**European Approval**

The solution is at hand and coming from an unexpected direction. The European Commission (who are usually for rules and regulations) want to remove geo-blocking of content. From next year you should be able to view your content anywhere in the European Union.

If the European Parliament vote in agreement with the European Commission, then you will be able to view your package contents without the issue of borders. However, only in Europe. The Sonys and Universals of this world shouldn't really find any issue with this, it will just increase popularity with streaming services. The content providers will benefit from it.

**From Next Year**

There is nothing preventing streaming services from removing geo-blocking. The competition between streaming services is so fierce, they need to come up with a user-friendly solution to allow you to view your familiar series abroad. Technically speaking, it isn't complicated to set up a personal account in any country. If Spotify can do it, then why can't Netflix?

Maybe it's best to leave your laptop at home during the winter holidays. However, next summer you will be watching your familiar series, in your hotel room, by the swimming pool or on the balcony of your apartment. Just remember to book your holiday with a good Wi-Fi connection.

Streaming without borders - How you can enjoy your Netflix account worldwide

Quiz Question: At the end of June there were two events which left us as EU citizens stunned. Which events were they? The time begins now … The Brexit? Good answer. But what was the other event? My privacy, and yours, as internet users being put at risk? Ever heard of the Privacy Shield? Read and shudder.

There is a convenient way to silently carry through a politically or socially sensitive decision. Use a moment when there is another subject taking all of the attention. Here I am thinking about the 24th June when I read the news about the Privacy Shield.

24th June, which for many Europeans is 'The Day after the Brexit'. By a small majority the British voters decided via a referendum to leave the European Union. The referendum initially seemed to fizzle out, but ended up sending shockwaves like an earthquake. It was literally as if Great Britain was floating away from the continent.

**New: The Privacy Shield**

Experts tumbled over each other to predict the effects of Brexit. The heads of more and more British politicians began to roll. Share prices plummeted. During this downpour of Brexit news came a small drop of other news. Barely noticed, almost exclusively for the connoisseur: The EU and United States have reached an agreement regarding The Privacy Shield.

First a step back. The Privacy Shield, what is that exactly?

The Privacy Shield is an agreement between The EU and the US regarding the protection of our personal details. Lots of our personal details end up in the US. We all use Google and Facebook. But according to the European rules those details cannot just end up there. We need an explicit statement that our personal details will be protected in the US in the same way they are here in The EU. Only then will the EU grant permission. The Privacy Shield are those regulating it.

For years there was another agreement in place with the US: The Safe Harbour Convention. Through this the EU declared that our details were in safe in the hands of America. What a restful thought. We could enjoy Google and Facebooking.

**Criticisms about the previous agreement**

But, do the Americans really do a good job of respecting our private information? According to the whistle blower Edward Snowden they don't, and highlighted that the intelligence services draw an abundance of information from American servers. With a trawling net they collect the data and put privacy-sensitive information from Europeans at the top of the catch.

Then there was the Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems. He criticised Facebook. Schrems found that the American company were guilty of privacy violations and filed a lawsuit. Very quickly the case was about The Safe Harbour Convention, which the European Head of Justice evaluated as providing very little protection. The Head of Justice referred the convention to the dustbin in 2015.

So, then we sat with no legal protection at all. A new convention was needed really quickly, and that is The Privacy Shield. The question now is whether this 'shield' is up to the job of withstanding the prying eyes of the intelligence services and companies. Schrems also questions this, he has highlighted that the US are able to still carry out mass-surveillance on data. Surveillance can be carried out if related to 6 specific tasks, including cybercrime and terrorism.

**Shield or Dead Wood?**

The Privacy Shield appears to be a pile of dead wood. This isn't just the opinion of Schrems, the European privacy regulators are also critical, for example, they find it unacceptable that the US saves and stores information for such a long time. However, they are pleased by the idea to introduce an ombudsman in relation to the Privacy Shield, but ask: how independent will this ombudsman be?

Then the message of 24th June arrived: The EU and US have agreed terms relating to The Privacy Shield. Despite all of the criticism. It is true to say the agreement has been sharpened up. The US has promised that the new privacy ombudsman will operate independently. They listened. There will also be more explanation regarding the interception of data by intelligence services. Well! So an admission of monitoring and collecting data, to be followed with just a neat explanation of why.

Just as silently this was agreed to in July by EU member states. Therefore, the Privacy Shield became operational on the 1st August. Yippee! The question is - did you see any reports of this in the papers or news? One thing is clear: the decision about the Privacy Shield, and the consequences of it, are for most people a well-kept secret they know nothing about. What the Privacy Shield is about is private.

Stop with Google and Facebook? - European privacy protection is leaking from all sides

Devices are getting smarter. Phones, cars and thermostats: they collect more and more data, and share it too. But what if others use that data for purposes you don't know about? What about your privacy? And what benefits does this data collection actually deliver?

Some time ago I made a trip to London. When I came back via the airport in Rotterdam and drove home, I was stopped on the A13 by a policeman on his motorcycle. Strange, seeing as I wasn't speeding. I had to drive to a parking space in a business park. It turned out that I hadn't paid my car insurance. A mistake, so I explained it truthfully and pinned the outstanding amount on the spot.

How did the policeman know that I hadn't paid the bill? Did he get a signal from traffic control? Certainly, it seems that way and that would be quite interesting. That system was once intended to track traffic jams and catch speeders. The system seems to work just as well to pick up on defaulters and other offenders on the road.

**Function creep and privacy**

This is a typical example of function creep: a certain instrument being used for something other than it's intended purpose. Take, for example, the body scan at the airport, which is now very euphemistically called the Security Scan. It is in itself an effective means of detecting threats. The border control promises not to save the scans of travellers, to protect their privacy. But why do the devices necessarily need a hard drive and an internet connection? This smells of function creep.

Whether it comes to body scans, or traffic control: where intelligence services find a source of data to collect, they will use it. If they do this to identify specific suspects, I can understand that, as long as they operate within the confines of the law. But the trend seems to be, that for the sacred purpose of our security, data needs to be collected about everyone, whether openly, or through function creep. We are all follows as if we were suspects.

**Hotspots for criminals**

Something dangerous clings to the passion that police, security and intelligence services have for collecting data. Even if they adhere to the rules, who says that hackers won't sooner or later crack the servers and run off with all of our private data? The mountains of data are hotspots for criminals. Before you know it, you could be a victim of identity fraud.

Am I overreacting? I hope I am wrong. But let's turn things around: why are the intelligence services so obsessed with data? The mountain is too big for them to wade through and yet the government claims that this mountain has helped prevent terrorist attacks. I would advise: show us proof that this is the case. If you show that you've stopped, for example, 30 attacks with mass surveillance, you'll raise a lot of goodwill with the people.

Until then, I am tempted to say that collecting all this data doesn't make us safer. Further, as long as the intelligence services are doing their work with good intentions, there's not a problem, but sooner or later, someone with less noble intentions will get their hands on the data. All the more reason for Digidentity to be extra vigilant. We only ask our users for information that is absolutely necessary for registration, and then lock that same data in a super secure safe. Just in case.

I wrote earlier about the [debate between security and privacy](https://www.digidentity.eu/ENGBLOG-How-we-are-ending-up-step-by-step-in-The-Circle). Do these go hand in hand?

Privacy or security? - 'Function Creep' kills your privacy


>"Sharing signals is as old as civilization. What is new and important is deploying signaling systems that demonstrably improve the security of existing infrastructure. Internet Identity systems are most vulnerable when verification is spread among competing stakeholders. Sharing signals address that weakness and enables more shared security measures that increase resilience." - Don Thibeau, OIX Chairman and President
![icon-oixuk.webp](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/fe80c7d677c5eec4e8e7c31e01ae5e9e.webp)

Digidentity have been working on a project with the OIX looking at whether signals could be shared between Identity Providers (IdPs) via a signal manager to be used to better prevent fraud.

Using a number of use cases such as registration velocity and ghost identity this alpha project established that signals are useful in providing information which the IdPs otherwise would not have had to help detect and prevent fraud.

You can find out more about the project and read the full whitepaper [here](https://www.digidentity.eu/files/news/OIX_SHAREDSIGNALS-3_IDP_WP_WITH-LOGO.pdf).

Shared Signals - Proof of Concept

The Board elections at OIX UK have come to a close and the results have been announced. Congratulations to Emma Lindley, founder and Director of Innovate Identity. Having received the most votes, she will be the general member representative on the OIX UK Board and Exectutive commitee. Coming in second place is our very own Marcel Wendt, who will be acting as the general membership's Alternative Representative.

Sue Dawes, at OIX UK, had this to say about the election results:

I have the good fortune to work with several Boards of pragmatic, optimistic, and thoughtful individuals. The new OIX UK Board is a group of some of the Identity's best developers, marketers, and policy-makers. Their work can make a real difference for UK citizens, customers and member organisations.

Thank you to all who voted to elect a general member and alternate who will represent you on the Open Identity Exchange UK Board of Directors. All general members were eligible and many took the opportunity to nominate and second candidates, and vote.

I am pleased to announce the election of Emma Lindley as the general member representative on the OIX UK Board and Executive Committee, shaping the plans, priorities and operations of the Open Identity Exchange UK. Emma brings hard won experience, thought leadership and technical acumen to the Board of OIX UK. Emma's focus on representing OIX UK's general membership views is a key commitment.

Marcel Wendt received the second highest number of votes and will act as the general membership's Alternate Representative. Marcel's experience and insight in European and UK cross-border interoperability standards seems especially important and timely in light of recent events. Both appointments are for one year and require a substantial investment of time and energy.

One of OIX UK's focus areas is on a collaboration of "rules of the road" for how identity data and services developed for GOV.UK Verify might be re used in other sectors. This will require painstaking consensus building. that must extend beyond the Board. Accordingly, I want to acknowledge David Dalton-Brown and Ian Imeson for putting themselves forward as candidates and the support they received. Their leadership will continue to shape the direction of OIX UK and benefit all involved.

Please join me in thanking all the candidates for their service to Open Identity Exchange UK."

[OIX UK Blog (Engels)](http://oixuk.org/?p=3656)

Open Identity Exchange UK Board Election Results

Last Wednesday night at the European Identity & Cloud Conference 2016 (EIC) Awards Ceremony, Yubico and Digidentity's submission for "Best Innovation in eGovernment/eCitizen" was awarded to the GOV.UK Verify project. The award was accepted by Adam Cooper, Identity Assurance Programme, Government Digital Service for GOV.UK Verify.

Beginning in April 2016, Digidentity began offering support for Yubikeys and the FIDO Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) protocol for GOV.UK Verify Set to launch this month, this is the first government service in the world to make support for a FIDO authenticator based on open standards.

To authenticate to GOV.UK Verify using Digidentity with FIDO U2F, the user inserts a U2F certified YubiKey into the computer's USB port, and then touches the device. There are no drivers or client software to install. Furthermore, the same U2F YubiKey that works with GOV.UK Verify also works for logging into a growing number of large scale commercial services, including Google, Dropbox, and Dashlane, without any personal data or encryption secrets shared between service providers.

Digidentity's partnership with Yubico and the support for U2F in GOV.UK Verify is an example of how Digidentity drives innovation for the programme and continuous to deliver easy and secure online identities.

We thank EIC for this recognition and GDS for the continuous support.

European Identity & Cloud Awards 2016

It's March. The days are getting longer and spring has arrived, which means tax return! Masses of us are taking the time to visit the tax office online, and perhaps asking 'how do we log in for DigiD again?'. This question will soon become something of the past, since DigiD is being replaced. Idensys is the new method of online identification, but what is it? What can you do? How easy to use is it? Is it safe? Here are 10 questions and answers.
![icon-idensys.webp](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/0d3724bb12a0775fa3e66417fa6f3b6f.webp)

**What is Idensys?**

Idensys is the new DigiD, which can be used for online identification. Idensys can be compared to an electronic passport, which is used to identify yourself. Just the same as with DigiD you are able to access the online services of the Government to organise and complete your business, such as a tax return.

**Why is DigiD being replaced?**

DigiD isn't being removed totally, but it will sit under the umbrella of Idensys. Idensys is therefore a much broader service. With your DigiD you can only organise and complete your business with the Government, but with Idensys you can also access the services of private companies. Idensys should be viewed as the new and extra secure standard for online identification. eHerkenning - the service currently used by private companies to log into Government services - will also be sitting under the Idensys umbrella, just like logins from banks and webshops for instance. It won't be needed to keep all of your usernames and passwords anymore, just log in once and access any services you need.

**What is the advantage of having 1 standard login system?**

As a society we are doing more and more online, especially in using Government services. The Government has committed to making as many services as possible available online in 2017.

Along with accessing Government services we make regular visits to webshops, insurance companies and banks online. Why should we use different login details each time? Internet users would rather not according to research carried out by Digidentity in February. 60% of users between the ages of 25-30 years preferred the method of logging in with 1 account for accessing Government services and companies.

**What else does Idensys resolve for users?**

Out of our research it shows that logging in securely is a priority for Internet users. Around 85% of users found the protection of their personal details extremely important. In second place around 76% hoped that logging in wouldn't take too much of their time. In third place it was important to users to have a 'user friendly' system. Additionally, in signing up for Idensys the process needed to be 'smooth' in the eyes of 65% of those giving their opinion. All of these requests are met when using Idensys.

**How secure is Idensys?**

Very secure. DigiD is also a safe system, but Idensys provides a higher level of assurance about the individual, and therefore an insurance company, or Government department knows that they are doing business with you for sure, and not someone pretending to be you.

**Can anyone view my personal details?**

No, it's not possible. The system satisfies the strictest of security requirements, and additionally any affiliates who incorporate Idensys into their services cannot follow the actions of their users. Take any identity provider, such as us at Digidentity, we provide the Idensys account, we can see where you login, but we cannot see what you are doing - this information is hidden. Additionally, any organisation that you log into can only see the details that you accept to share with them, and they never know which other websites you have visited.

**Do you need to pay for Idensys?**

A good question. After security and privacy the most important question is the cost, and whether or not to choose for a specific logging in method. DigiD is free, the Government subsidises this service, but Idensys does cost users around €15 per year for the Level 3 assurance account, which is the most regularly used. The expectation is that the costs to users will decrease in the future, because organisations incorporating Idensys into their services will increase with time, e.g. banks and insurers, therefore the income generated will increase too.

**Ease-of-use came in 3rd place in your research, is there a reason why?**

Using the system is easier than using DigiD. Logging in uses an app via your smartphone, no more hassle from a card reader or USB reader, it takes just a couple of easy steps.

**Is applying for Idensys also easy?**

The application for Idensys is via the online system from start to finish. Having an identity check in person isn't required. We have developed an app for this purpose, where we can compare your photograph with your identity document. You need to make some 'selfies' for this!

**Is Idensys already available?**

In February the Idensys pilots were started. If these pilots are successful then the system will be rolled out on a huge scale. As an early adopter you can already apply for an Idensys account, and any companies using eHerkenning will be automatically connected to Idensys.

Goodbye DigiD, hello Idensys - 10 questions about our new online identification

The UK has spent the past five years on a digital transformation that is setting a world standard for how citizens securely interact with government online services.
![icon-fido-u2f-ready.webp](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/1a222d8052f91047d9ecc469c4a040f3.webp)

The UK's Government Digital Service (GDS), which came online in 2011, will add in a few weeks a new verification service called GOV.UK Verify to this impressive project.

Digidentity is one of the original identity providers (IdP) for GOV.UK Verify and will offer support for the YubiKey and the Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) protocol. UK citizens can now use a YubiKey as a second authentication factor to access their Digidentity accounts, while the country rolls out the first government service in the world to support U2F.

This is an important milestone for both citizens and governments looking to leverage identity data to secure services while safeguarding privacy. The combination of secure authentication and federation/single sign-on is required for digital services to scale.

GOV.UK Verify uses a host of identity providers who validate a citizen's personal data, store that data, and verify the user is who they say they are when they attempt to access government digital services. The IdP's are part of an identity federation established as part of GDS.

The GOV.UK Verify program has been running in beta for the past 18 months. The program supports 13 services spread over five government departments, but it will have 50 services and 10 departments signed up when GOV.UK Verify goes live in early April. The service will support 90% of the UK's adult population, according to the UK government.


>"UK citizens can easily purchase a FIDO U2F device online and register it with Digidentity," says Marcel Wendt, Digidentity CTO and co-founder. "With a quick online process, the user's identity is verified and tied to the U2F device, and the data is encrypted to safeguard a user's privacy."

Today, verifying identity is mostly done via manual processes, such as asking people to send identity evidence via snail mail or show ID in-person at a counter service. Those are cumbersome and time-consuming tasks for people needing access to online services using their digital identity credentials.

To authenticate to GOV.UK Verify using Digidentity with FIDO U2F, the user inserts a U2F YubiKey device into their computer's USB port, and then touches the device. There are no drivers or client software to install. Later this year, U2F authentication via Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth will be supported by Digidentity for secure login from mobile devices.

Digidentity's ground-breaking IdP service with strong authentication is another example of how Yubico helps secure online identities and innovates to make those identities easier to use and and available to everyone.

UK First Government To Offer a U2F-Secured Digidentity

Last month the personal email account of James Clapper, the head of the American Intelligence Agency, was hacked and information leaked, amounting to a very serious issue. Does this prove we are powerless against cyber criminals? Of course not! Now is the time that ID providers join together to share information which may indicate fraudulent activity. This concept already exists: Shared Signaling which is now being tested in Great Britain.

According to last month's edition of Vice Magazine not only was the email account of James Clapper hacked, but also his telephone and Internet accounts, which mostly likely gave him many sleepless nights. Additionally, Mr. Clapper's wife also endured the same concern and sleepless nights since it was evident that her own Yahoo account was as risk as well.

**Thousands of users are victims**

ID Providers may need to deal with fraud at some point. The Netherlands are investing substantially into security and protection of data and are taking proactive steps, e.g. the services of DigiD, eHerkenning and the successor Idensys, to make it as difficult as possible for cyber criminals to hack accounts, where Government services have shown to be successful.

But …

Suppose a married couple decide to split up, where disagreements, quarrels and eventually a really messy divorce takes place. To take revenge on his wife, the husband takes his wife's passwords, logins to DigiD, modifies bank details and makes fraudulent gains.

An Account Take Over (ATO) is any Internet user's worst nightmare. Before you know it someone is pretending to be you, using your credentials, making accounts and manipulating your details and possibly finances. No ID provider is solving this at the moment.

Andrew Nash however, has ideas!

**Andrew Nash' solution: Shared Signaling**

The former director of Paypal and Google has set up a way to collectively combat Internet fraud. While Andrew Nash was working at Google he saw abnormal amounts of traffic around Yahoo accounts and suspected they were hacked, this is when he came up with the idea. Since Andrew was not working for Yahoo, but still noticed this abnormal traffic, the idea to collaborate with others against Internet fraud was formed.

Andrew has now set up the system: Shared Signaling. This system can be compared to the banking system which works with black lists, where banks alert each other about possible fraudsters. ID providers should be doing the same. Online identification is under constant threat from illegal accounts and hacker attacks, the consequences of such events can be enormous; customer data destroyed, ID providers losing their reputation and financial losses of incalculable amounts.

**How does Shared Signaling work?**

To fight fraud Nash is making a plea that companies start working together, by sharing information when they have noticed something is wrong via a secure environment and central point of information: the signal manager. Nash's plea is to work together by sharing information on fraud together. It goes like this. An ID provider notices that something is wrong with a user account. The provider gives this within a secure environment through a central point of information: the Signal Manager.

The Signal Manager provides a warning to the other ID providers. Is the fraudster to request an account or change? Then they can change their mind on the basis of the information of the Signal Manager. Thus the scope for the fraudster has become a lot smaller.

Nash's plea is to work together to share information on fraud. When an identity provider suspects something is wrong with a user account, the provider notifies the Signal Manager by means of a secure connection.

The Signal Manager issues warnings to other ID providers. When the fraudster tries to register or update an account, the ID provider can take the Signal Manager warning into consideration. This lowers the chance that the fraudster will succeed in his attempt to commit fraud.

**Are there any objections?**

This kind of warning system sounds nice, but I can hear you think: what about the privacy of the users? The information that the Signal Manager receives and sends is specific enough to recognise a fraudster without it actually using any privacy sensitive data.

What if the ID provider ignores the warnings? Of course, an ID provider is free to make its own risk assessment based on the information of the Signal Manager. When the ID provider decides to ignore the warning, the fraudster can perform the action that would have been blocked otherwise. However an ID provider can never take this information for granted, because they would create a safe haven for cyber crime. As an ID provider you are always careful about your reputation and you handle your accounts with care.

**Embrace Shared Signaling**

Shared Signaling is more than just a theory. Nash's model is currently being trialed in the United Kingdom. The lessons we can learn from this trial are also of interest in the Netherlands. Especially now and especially for us.

We are at the verge of replacing DigiD with Idensys. The DigiD platform is monitored by a special fraud team from Logius, but with Idensys this becomes the responsibility of the ID providers. Let's accept this role and embrace Shared Signaling to prevent minister Plasterk and his wife from having sleepless nights.

**Additional information:**

[The Shared Signals Model ](http://oixuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/The-Shared-Signals-Model-1.pdf)

[Protecting the Identity Ecosystem ](http://oixuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Protecting-the-Identity-Ecosystem.pdf)

[Reducing Fraud and Improving Online Safety through IdP Signal Sharing](http://oixuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/OIX_SHAREDSIGNALS-3_IDP_WP_WITH-LOGO.pdf)

ID providers: Working together against Internet fraud

On December 29th 2015, Digidentity was officially acceded as the broker and identity provider of the Dutch Idensys Identity framework. We are thereby the first recognized identity provider of Idensys and it is hereby possible to begin with the Idensys pilots.
![icon-idensys.webp](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/0d3724bb12a0775fa3e66417fa6f3b6f.webp)
**Pilots**

The first pilots begin in January 2016. During this pilot-phase, a maximum of 30,000 citizens and consumers will be logging into twenty government websites and businesses with private identities. These identities will be issued bs businesses who are recognized providers of Idensys. The pilots will provide empirical insight into how Idensys works in practice and how it is experienced by users. The results of the evaluation will be known by mid 2016. Thereafter, it will be known if and how Idensys can be used by more organisations.

**Why is Idensys necessary**

It is handy for people to be able to manage their affairs via the internet; however, it is also important that they can do this securely. The ability to login in secure is crucial, as it concerns personal details. The use of login sources that provide more assurance regarding someone's identity makes cybercrime and identity fraud more difficult. Idensys provides this assurance with agreements between governments and businesses. This way, citizens, consumers and businesses will have the ability to login securely using one login source.

**About Digidentity**

Digidentity offers solutions and services to more than 13 million Europeans, with more than 130 million secure online transactions per year between people, organisations and governments. To do this, Digidentity developed services focused on a unique digital identity, where the user and its privacy are key. Digidentity is also a supplier of GOV.UK Verify, SSL certificates and qualified digital signatures, and works for both Dutch and British government.

[Idensys](https://www.idensys.nl/) [eHerkenning](https://www.eherkenning.nl/nieuws/nieuwsberichten/item/artikel/eerste-toetreding-maakt-start-idensys-pilots-mogelijk/) [GOV.UK Verify](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introducing-govuk-verify/introducing-govuk-verify)

First accession makes starting Idensys-pilots possible

Using personal information in secure online interactions doesn't mean having to compromise convenience.

Every day millions of people go online to buy books, check their insurance or handle their taxes. The internet has made our lives more convenient, but it also creates threats.

It is estimated that in the UK approximately £3.5 billion is lost every year as a result of online fraud. Identity fraud provides criminals with £10 million of cashflow every day. More than 40 per cent of all fraud cases in the UK concerns identity fraud.

Protecting yourself from identity theft

After 2 years of intensive collaboration with the British government, Digidentity is now available to provide a digital identity for British citizens. This will enable the British public to interact with the government online in a secure and simple way, while ensuring and maintaining the privacy of the user. Digidentity provides the Dutch government's virtual ID 'DigiD' and is a member and contributor to various international identity schemes.

![icon-govuk-verify-certified-company.webp](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/a0c5917ae7605f9a5c1851a6f57085a2.webp)

Digidentity offers solutions and services to more than 11 million Europeans, with more than 130 million secure online transactions per year between people, organisations and governments. To do this, the company developed services focused on a unique digital identity, where the user and their privacy are key. Digidentity is also a supplier of SSL certificates and qualified digital signatures. Next to that, Digidentity developed in a consortium the Dutch national online ID called DigiD. Digidentity now works for the Dutch and British government.

[More information about GOV.UK Verify](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introducing-govuk-verify/introducing-govuk-verify)

Na 2 jaar intensief samen te hebben gewerkt met de Britse overheid levert het Nederlandse bedrijf Digidentity sinds 27 november 2014 de digitale identiteit voor Britse burgers. Britten kunnen nu op een veilige en eenvoudige manier online zaken regelen met de overheid, waarbij de privacy van de gebruikers gewaarborgd blijft. Digidentity ontwikkelt in Nederland ook DigiD en is mede verantwoordelijk voor het stelsel eHerkenning, PKIoverheid en eID.
![icon-govuk-verify-certified-company.webp](https://ddy-corp-website-strapi-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/a0c5917ae7605f9a5c1851a6f57085a2.webp)
Walter van Benthem, general manager van Digidentity: "We verwachten dat de gebruiker steeds hogere eisen stelt aan het gemak, vandaar dat de Virtual ID service door Digidentity voortdurend aangepast en vernieuwd zal worden op basis van de nieuwste technologieen zoals mobile apps en biometrics."

Deze manier van online identificatie moet de toegang tot online services veiliger maken. Door het ontbreken van een centraal register, zoals het GBA in Nederland, moet de identiteit van de burger opgebouwd worden uit een combinatie van verschillende bewijzen, bijvoorbeeld het paspoort, een gasrekening of verzekeringspolis.

[Meer informatie over GOV.UK Verify](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introducing-govuk-verify/introducing-govuk-verify)

Digidentity levert Britse 'Virtual ID'

Digidentity delivers British 'Virtual ID'

After 2 years of intensive collaboration with the British government, Digidentity is now available to provide a digital identity for British citizens. This will enable the British public to interact with the government online in a secure and simple way, while ensuring and maintaining the privacy of the user. Digidentity provides the Dutch government's virtual ID 'DigiD' and is a member and contributor to various international identity schemes.

![icon-govuk-verify-certified-company.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/a0c5917ae7605f9a5c1851a6f57085a2.webp)

Digidentity offers solutions and services to more than 11 million Europeans, with more than 130 million secure online transactions per year between people, organisations and governments. To do this, the company developed services focused on a unique digital identity, where the user and their privacy are key. Digidentity is also a supplier of SSL certificates and qualified digital signatures. Next to that, Digidentity developed in a consortium the Dutch national online ID called DigiD. Digidentity now works for the Dutch and British government.

[More information about GOV.UK Verify](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introducing-govuk-verify/introducing-govuk-verify)

On December 29th 2015, Digidentity was officially acceded as the broker and identity provider of the Dutch Idensys Identity framework. We are thereby the first recognized identity provider of Idensys and it is hereby possible to begin with the Idensys pilots.
![icon-idensys.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/0d3724bb12a0775fa3e66417fa6f3b6f.webp)
**Pilots**

The first pilots begin in January 2016. During this pilot-phase, a maximum of 30,000 citizens and consumers will be logging into twenty government websites and businesses with private identities. These identities will be issued bs businesses who are recognized providers of Idensys. The pilots will provide empirical insight into how Idensys works in practice and how it is experienced by users. The results of the evaluation will be known by mid 2016. Thereafter, it will be known if and how Idensys can be used by more organisations.

**Why is Idensys necessary**

It is handy for people to be able to manage their affairs via the internet; however, it is also important that they can do this securely. The ability to login in secure is crucial, as it concerns personal details. The use of login sources that provide more assurance regarding someone's identity makes cybercrime and identity fraud more difficult. Idensys provides this assurance with agreements between governments and businesses. This way, citizens, consumers and businesses will have the ability to login securely using one login source.

**About Digidentity**

Digidentity offers solutions and services to more than 13 million Europeans, with more than 130 million secure online transactions per year between people, organisations and governments. To do this, Digidentity developed services focused on a unique digital identity, where the user and its privacy are key. Digidentity is also a supplier of GOV.UK Verify, SSL certificates and qualified digital signatures, and works for both Dutch and British government.

[Idensys](https://www.idensys.nl/) [eHerkenning](https://www.eherkenning.nl/nieuws/nieuwsberichten/item/artikel/eerste-toetreding-maakt-start-idensys-pilots-mogelijk/) [GOV.UK Verify](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introducing-govuk-verify/introducing-govuk-verify)

The UK has spent the past five years on a digital transformation that is setting a world standard for how citizens securely interact with government online services.
![icon-fido-u2f-ready.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/1a222d8052f91047d9ecc469c4a040f3.webp)

The UK's Government Digital Service (GDS), which came online in 2011, will add in a few weeks a new verification service called GOV.UK Verify to this impressive project.

Digidentity is one of the original identity providers (IdP) for GOV.UK Verify and will offer support for the YubiKey and the Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) protocol. UK citizens can now use a YubiKey as a second authentication factor to access their Digidentity accounts, while the country rolls out the first government service in the world to support U2F.

This is an important milestone for both citizens and governments looking to leverage identity data to secure services while safeguarding privacy. The combination of secure authentication and federation/single sign-on is required for digital services to scale.

GOV.UK Verify uses a host of identity providers who validate a citizen's personal data, store that data, and verify the user is who they say they are when they attempt to access government digital services. The IdP's are part of an identity federation established as part of GDS.

The GOV.UK Verify program has been running in beta for the past 18 months. The program supports 13 services spread over five government departments, but it will have 50 services and 10 departments signed up when GOV.UK Verify goes live in early April. The service will support 90% of the UK's adult population, according to the UK government.


>"UK citizens can easily purchase a FIDO U2F device online and register it with Digidentity," says Marcel Wendt, Digidentity CTO and co-founder. "With a quick online process, the user's identity is verified and tied to the U2F device, and the data is encrypted to safeguard a user's privacy."

Today, verifying identity is mostly done via manual processes, such as asking people to send identity evidence via snail mail or show ID in-person at a counter service. Those are cumbersome and time-consuming tasks for people needing access to online services using their digital identity credentials.

To authenticate to GOV.UK Verify using Digidentity with FIDO U2F, the user inserts a U2F YubiKey device into their computer's USB port, and then touches the device. There are no drivers or client software to install. Later this year, U2F authentication via Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth will be supported by Digidentity for secure login from mobile devices.

Digidentity's ground-breaking IdP service with strong authentication is another example of how Yubico helps secure online identities and innovates to make those identities easier to use and and available to everyone.

It's March. The days are getting longer and spring has arrived, which means tax return! Masses of us are taking the time to visit the tax office online, and perhaps asking 'how do we log in for DigiD again?'. This question will soon become something of the past, since DigiD is being replaced. Idensys is the new method of online identification, but what is it? What can you do? How easy to use is it? Is it safe? Here are 10 questions and answers.
![icon-idensys.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/0d3724bb12a0775fa3e66417fa6f3b6f.webp)

**What is Idensys?**

Idensys is the new DigiD, which can be used for online identification. Idensys can be compared to an electronic passport, which is used to identify yourself. Just the same as with DigiD you are able to access the online services of the Government to organise and complete your business, such as a tax return.

**Why is DigiD being replaced?**

DigiD isn't being removed totally, but it will sit under the umbrella of Idensys. Idensys is therefore a much broader service. With your DigiD you can only organise and complete your business with the Government, but with Idensys you can also access the services of private companies. Idensys should be viewed as the new and extra secure standard for online identification. eHerkenning - the service currently used by private companies to log into Government services - will also be sitting under the Idensys umbrella, just like logins from banks and webshops for instance. It won't be needed to keep all of your usernames and passwords anymore, just log in once and access any services you need.

**What is the advantage of having 1 standard login system?**

As a society we are doing more and more online, especially in using Government services. The Government has committed to making as many services as possible available online in 2017.

Along with accessing Government services we make regular visits to webshops, insurance companies and banks online. Why should we use different login details each time? Internet users would rather not according to research carried out by Digidentity in February. 60% of users between the ages of 25-30 years preferred the method of logging in with 1 account for accessing Government services and companies.

**What else does Idensys resolve for users?**

Out of our research it shows that logging in securely is a priority for Internet users. Around 85% of users found the protection of their personal details extremely important. In second place around 76% hoped that logging in wouldn't take too much of their time. In third place it was important to users to have a 'user friendly' system. Additionally, in signing up for Idensys the process needed to be 'smooth' in the eyes of 65% of those giving their opinion. All of these requests are met when using Idensys.

**How secure is Idensys?**

Very secure. DigiD is also a safe system, but Idensys provides a higher level of assurance about the individual, and therefore an insurance company, or Government department knows that they are doing business with you for sure, and not someone pretending to be you.

**Can anyone view my personal details?**

No, it's not possible. The system satisfies the strictest of security requirements, and additionally any affiliates who incorporate Idensys into their services cannot follow the actions of their users. Take any identity provider, such as us at Digidentity, we provide the Idensys account, we can see where you login, but we cannot see what you are doing - this information is hidden. Additionally, any organisation that you log into can only see the details that you accept to share with them, and they never know which other websites you have visited.

**Do you need to pay for Idensys?**

A good question. After security and privacy the most important question is the cost, and whether or not to choose for a specific logging in method. DigiD is free, the Government subsidises this service, but Idensys does cost users around €15 per year for the Level 3 assurance account, which is the most regularly used. The expectation is that the costs to users will decrease in the future, because organisations incorporating Idensys into their services will increase with time, e.g. banks and insurers, therefore the income generated will increase too.

**Ease-of-use came in 3rd place in your research, is there a reason why?**

Using the system is easier than using DigiD. Logging in uses an app via your smartphone, no more hassle from a card reader or USB reader, it takes just a couple of easy steps.

**Is applying for Idensys also easy?**

The application for Idensys is via the online system from start to finish. Having an identity check in person isn't required. We have developed an app for this purpose, where we can compare your photograph with your identity document. You need to make some 'selfies' for this!

**Is Idensys already available?**

In February the Idensys pilots were started. If these pilots are successful then the system will be rolled out on a huge scale. As an early adopter you can already apply for an Idensys account, and any companies using eHerkenning will be automatically connected to Idensys.

It's one of the most spoken about books in the last 5 years: The Circle by Dave Eggers. It's about a world where privacy doesn't exist and how the Internet company The Circle knows everything about everyone. What did you think when you heard about or read this information? Science Fiction? Dystopia? Doomsday thinking? I hope that you are correct.

![icon-the-circle.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/bfe857ccfee9fff341351e658bc47582.webp)

Let me refresh your memory. In The Circle we are following the main character Mae Holland. Mae gets a job at The Circle Internet company, which is like a combination of Google, Twitter and Facebook. The social media run by the company compels the users to totally disclose their private business with others.

Users are not forced by the law to do this, there are no sanctions, but the social pressure of The Circle is so big that it appears suspicious to keep things private. 'Privacy is theft' is the moral, and 'secrets are lies' is also another lovely motto. Politicians begin wearing permanent cameras on themselves to show they have nothing to hide.

**The Circle: all fantasy?**

The novel from Eggers reads like the famous 1984 by George Orwell. It paints a pretty scary world where you constantly feel spied upon. Enjoy the breath of relief when you close the book, it's just fantasy, until you open the newspaper.

The media has been filled with attacks and impending attacks. Politicians and experts clamber over each other with their theories about how to prevent the spread of terrorism and prevent more incidents. A frequently heard solution? Give security services a full mandate and pull back privacy from the people.

**Reduce our privacy**

European politician Guy Verhofstadt is one-such hardliner, he thinks we should reduce privacy protection. It's a statement that could have come from The Circle. Verhofstadt thinks that we should replace our national intelligence services with a European CIA. I don't think it's necessary. European intelligence services operate very well, if they would just communicate better.

In The Netherlands the recent attacks have provided an argument for the reduction of our privacy protection. The cabinet want the possibility of intercepting Internet traffic on a large scale.

[Kabinet zet plannen grote schaal aftappen internetverkeer door. (only in Dutch)](http://www.nu.nl/internet/4254311/kabinet-zet-plannen-grote-schaal-aftappen-internetverkeer-door.html)

Are the Government looking for suspects or do they just not trust specific telephone traffic? The result is listening to the communications of entire neighbourhoods or intercepting all data relating to specific foreign countries. The Netherlands will remain the country where the most interception happens.

**Trawling nets are not a solution**

Ultimately I am not against intercept. It's fine to determine which telephone call a suspect made 5 minutes after a bomb attack, he wouldn't have been ordering pizza. But gathering as much data as possible in a trawler net, that I don't believe in. In reality you end up gathering a lot of hay, where you will never find the needle.

Now you are probably thinking, why are you worrying? Is privacy so important? What do you have to hide? Indeed, maybe I don't have anything to hide and nothing to be embarrassed about, but I do have the right to have secrets and my privacy. Imagine the norm was that your postman opens all of your post, and in front of the whole street reads out a postcard that your mother-in-law has sent you. The whole street can enjoy the message too. Is there anything secret in the postcard? Now, probably not. Do you find it unpleasant? I think so.

**Technology companies acting as privacy guards**

Thankfully there is a counter-movement which is supporting the protection of our privacy, coming from the technology sector. Think of Apple, they refused the FBI access to the iPhone of one of the shooters in San Bernardino. Other companies, such as Microsoft, rallied behind Apple. It's a powerful camp that decide to take such political and social actions. This type of action was also seen after the introduction of anti-gay laws in North Carolina, Salesforce and Paypal openly expressed their dissatisfaction and blocked the use of their services in North Carolina.

Will it be ok with privacy protection? Tellingly are the developments in WhatsApp. WhatsApp now encrypt all messages that you and I send. Only the sender and receiver can read the contents. It's not watertight security, but still, it shows that the technology sector are not prepared to allow intelligence services in.

**The danger lies in us**

Maybe we shouldn't fear the intelligence services. As long as Apple, WhatsApp and Microsoft sharpen up their protection our privacy won't be lying on the street. The biggest danger comes from ourselves. As consumers we are more than happy to give away our privacy for the sake of convenience. We fill in unbelievable numbers of Internet forms, with the most detailed of questions for the use of a handy online service.

Shruggingly we agree to terms of use on social media. Who was worried when WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook? Did you take the trouble to switch to another safer network?

As Dave Eggers predicted: through group pressure we connect ourselves in social networks. We cheapen the value of our privacy, we take it for granted. As long as you are alert it's fine, continue carefully in order to protect your privacy, there are many ways and methods you can undertake to increase your protection too.

In another blog I will be giving you [10 tips for your online privacy](https://www.digidentity.eu/ENGBLOG-Bye-bye-cybercriminals/)

Privacy or security? - How we are ending up, step-by-step, in The Circle


>"Sharing signals is as old as civilization. What is new and important is deploying signaling systems that demonstrably improve the security of existing infrastructure. Internet Identity systems are most vulnerable when verification is spread among competing stakeholders. Sharing signals address that weakness and enables more shared security measures that increase resilience." - Don Thibeau, OIX Chairman and President
![icon-oixuk.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/fe80c7d677c5eec4e8e7c31e01ae5e9e.webp)

Digidentity have been working on a project with the OIX looking at whether signals could be shared between Identity Providers (IdPs) via a signal manager to be used to better prevent fraud.

Using a number of use cases such as registration velocity and ghost identity this alpha project established that signals are useful in providing information which the IdPs otherwise would not have had to help detect and prevent fraud.

You can find out more about the project and read the full whitepaper [here](https://www.digidentity.eu/files/news/OIX_SHAREDSIGNALS-3_IDP_WP_WITH-LOGO.pdf).

You're abroad. After a long day you stretch out on your hotel bed and settle in to watch your favourite Netflix series. Beer to the left, popcorn to the right. That is, until you realise that your viewing package hasn't travelled with you. No subtitles and a whole other line-up. Irritating? Yes, the European Commission think so too.

Whoa, wait a minute. Contrary to what the title seems to suggest, I am not going to give you tips to view your Dutch Netflix account via a back door. I am also not telling you how to view the substantial Netflix line-up from America, (while you are at home in The Netherlands). I am the wrong person to go to for those sort of tips. However, I will mention this briefly.

![icon-netflix.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/8e6c3b721b6c1b3279c7cdfeff2b0d07.webp)

**Licenses per country**

The line-up available in your Netflix account depends on the country. It's linked to the country you are living in. As a Dutchman in the Netherlands you need to be satisfied with a third of the content than an American in America. For some series you can't even see all of the seasons.

The differences are down to royalties. Royalties are in the hands of content providers, such as Sony Pictures Television. These royalties provide a licence for broadcasters, and platforms for online streaming, like Netflix and Amazon. The licences are granted and given per country. This clears up the differences in available content between the USA and The Netherlands.

As a user of Netflix that difference seems a little strange. Why does the country you live in determine what you get to watch? And stranger still, why does the right to see your TV series get removed once you cross a border? Compare this to a camera you bought in The Netherlands, it doesn't lose any functions because you took it with you to France.

**Illegal viewing**

Illegal viewing practices get around the issue. Via a secure VPN connection (Virtual Private Network) it is possible to log in as if you are in the Netherlands, even when you aren't. By this method it is possible to view the Dutch content. Or, even more lucrative, using a VPN connection as if you are in America, providing you with the larger American content while you are in The Netherlands.

Also, using a proxy connection, running via a separate and central computer, you can access the same way as using a VPN connection. But as I understand Netflix now have blocks for these shortcuts. A variety of VPNs are now on the blacklist of Netflix. Users need to find other VPNs in order to make illegal connections to Netflix, until Netflix trace those, and so forth.

**European Approval**

The solution is at hand and coming from an unexpected direction. The European Commission (who are usually for rules and regulations) want to remove geo-blocking of content. From next year you should be able to view your content anywhere in the European Union.

If the European Parliament vote in agreement with the European Commission, then you will be able to view your package contents without the issue of borders. However, only in Europe. The Sonys and Universals of this world shouldn't really find any issue with this, it will just increase popularity with streaming services. The content providers will benefit from it.

**From Next Year**

There is nothing preventing streaming services from removing geo-blocking. The competition between streaming services is so fierce, they need to come up with a user-friendly solution to allow you to view your familiar series abroad. Technically speaking, it isn't complicated to set up a personal account in any country. If Spotify can do it, then why can't Netflix?

Maybe it's best to leave your laptop at home during the winter holidays. However, next summer you will be watching your familiar series, in your hotel room, by the swimming pool or on the balcony of your apartment. Just remember to book your holiday with a good Wi-Fi connection.

So, Brexit is a fact. We can say goodbye to Great Britain as a member of the European Union. Great Britain entirely? No, one little island has courageously been resisting the invaders from Brussels for years – to quote Asterix. That island is Jersey, a politically independent island in the English Channel. I recently flew to this special place to discuss a national digital ID system.

![icon-flag-jersey.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/8a79294ab10ba6845f379ff959dfa0ff.webp)

Jersey is like a miniature version of Great Britain. Take this Mini-Britain as you want: an island with its own administration, a Lieutenant Governor (who acts as representative of the Queen), its own elections, its own postage stamps and its own money – The Jersey Pound.

Jersey, along with the other Channel Islands and The Isle of Man, have a special status. They do not belong to the United Kingdom, and they were never a part of the EU. They fall under the British Crown, yet, they are not a crown colony.

**Living Apart Together – LAT Relationship**

An image of my college life. But this introduction is important in order to understand what I had to do in Jersey. As mentioned the island has a LAT relationship with the UK: they are together, and then again they aren't. This island, just like its big neighbour, wants to digitalise its services in order to make things better and more efficient for its citizens.

The British Government have had a good working system for a while: GOV.UK Verify. This online service includes a digital ID-system in order to authenticate each user. Digidentity is one of the builders of this system and a 'trusted network preferred supplier'.

Now the UK will not roll out a decentralised system. Jersey will also not be using this system. Therefore, would this island be better off to set up its own system? Or are there other cheaper solutions for this place, which doesn't even have 100,000 in its population.

With this question in mind I was invited to Jersey. Together with other service providers from GOV.UK Verify, under the flag of the [Open Identity Exchange (OIX)](http://www.openidentityexchange.org/). OIX is a non-profit organisation where services for online identity management are developed and rolled out. The people in Jersey were curious about our experience with the British system.

**Delayed**

So, I stepped into the aeroplane on my way to possibly one of the most charming business destinations. On route to the island something unexpected happened: I delayed.

A direct flight from The Netherlands is not possible. You need to change at London City Airport. I had around 45 minutes to fetch my boarding pass and to get through boarder control. I was actually leaving the EU zone. It went immediately wrong. My first flight was delayed. To make matters worse the airport was overcrowded. My flight was circling endlessly in the air. I begin looking at my watch nervously.

Once I landed at London City Airport I sprinted through the terminal looking for the Blue Islands desk, the company who were arranging my travel. There I got the soothing news: due to the airport being so busy this flight was also delayed. With a more relaxed heart I checked in and eventually took my place in the propeller operated plane.

**Postman Pat**

Blue Islands: the name promises something exotic. On Jersey there is a pleasant climate. It's a small hilly paradise, where time stood still. It's like glimpsing into the world of Postman Pat. Cosy.

When we landed the image of peace on the island was broken. All of the passengers were busy seeking out taxis to bring them to the capital of Saint Helier.

The meeting with the management of the island went quite relaxed. Before me sat men in jumpers instead of suits and ties. But make no mistake. The employees involved in the discussions knew exactly what they were talking about.

**GOV.UK Verify Duplication**

Jersey has been charmed by GOV.UK Verify. With 1 online identity you can safely and easily access and use all available Government services. Could we duplicate the British ID-system was the question? We concluded that large proportions of the system could be. All of the ID-Providers have developed platforms for GOV.UK Verify which could also be used in Jersey.

We found out that the way in which the people of Jersey register themselves requires extra attention. The civil registration and administration system of Jersey is different to that of the United Kingdom. But similarly to the GOV.UK Verify system a hub will also be required, where the Government is connected on one side and the ID-providers on the other. Through our experience with GOV.UK Verify we can implement a live ID-system in Jersey in the foreseeable future. Everyone happy.

Such a good meeting must be celebrated with a good dinner. Fish was on the menu, a recommended dish on the island. We had all the time in the world, the flight was leaving the following day.

**Relax**
 
With pain in my heart I left Jersey the following morning. Another travel delay. Again! This time I missed my connecting flight to Amsterdam. But due to the previous day it didn't make me stressed. I shrugged my shoulders and tried to kill time in the small, boring London City Airport. In the middle of the hectic metropole I was in a Jersey state of mind: fully relaxed. I searched for my jumper and I put it on.

Read [the white paper regarding the development of a digital ID-system for Jersey](http://oixuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SoJ-white-paper-v1.0.pdf).

Identity fraud. 500 Dutch people experience it every day. A nightmare! For example, you might not just lose your name, you could end up losing control over your bank account. Whoever thinks this could never happen to them should have a chat with Maria Genova. Even better: read her book. In 'Komt een vrouw bij de h@cker' she writes about how vulnerable we all are.

![icon-komt-een-vrouw-bij-de-hacker.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/5adcfeeedb13e4e773f30dd67a382ef5.webp)

**Why did you decide to write the book?**

'I read increasingly more reports about identity fraud. I wondered if all of the victims had been careless. But, after some brief research I found out that it is surprisingly simple to steal someone's identity. I felt the story needed to be told.'

**Have you ever been a victim?**

'Not really. I didn't want to write a book from a victim's perspective, but from my own amazement and to try and open people's eyes. It reads like a true crime novel, with sometimes funny stories. For example, a detainee who was set free because of a fake email. But there are also tragic stories, like the man who ended up with 1700 cars registered to him due to identity fraud. Because of this he lost his benefits, ended up homeless and it took him 17 years to repair the damage and clear his name.'

**Should we be afraid?**

'Take reassurance from the fact you can do a lot to protect your privacy. See it as your own home. Install good locks and then thieves can't break it so quickly. The same principle applies to your computer. Only, lots of people forget to organise protection. Like leaving the doors and windows open.'

**How do you organise better protection?**

'I have 3 important tips. To begin with install software updates. You can do this automatically. Ensure that you use strong passwords for logging in. Thirdly, don't click on phishing links. I frequently receive phishing emails from ING or PostNL. If I click on the links, there is a chance that my computer will be infected with spyware – this will give hackers access to my computer. Also, ransomware – my computer gets blocked, so to gain access again I am required to pay the hacker.'

**So now you can't be hacked?**

'No, hackers can break in everywhere. You just shouldn't make it easy for them. For my book I invited a hacker to break into my computer. He had been convicted, had served his sentence and was still on probation. I thought this was a safe offer – he could hardly cross the line at that moment. I thought I had a well-protected website, but within half an hour he had hacked me.'

**Is hacking so easy to do?**

'Yes, and that is possibly the most worrying. You don't need to be a nerd to do it. Indeed, at the end of the book, myself a digiphobe, I became a hacker, just by following the steps I found on the internet. As a test I hacked the computer of a friend. I could see all of her details, put her webcam on and follow her at home. It was pretty shocking.'

**What were the reactions to your book?**

'Very extraordinary. I never expected that this book would become so popular. I am constantly requested to read for audiences. Companies are ordering my book, sometimes hundreds of copies in one go, such as Kaspersky Lab, developers of security software.'

**What do you tell people during the readings?**

'My readings have the character of a workshop. I try and adapt to the sort of company or organisation, and show the employees the seriousness of hacking. For example, at 44% of town councils there are indications of data leaks. You can hack a nuclear power plant with an iPod. Banks lose vast sums of money through internet crime. I notice that lots of people are shocked. They are reluctant to use the internet, and change passwords and remove their date of birth from Facebook.'

**What do you want to achieve?**

'For me it's about making people aware of security risks. There is too little attention given to it. The Government should give people more tools to protect themselves better. Educate children about cybercrime. Require a "driving licence" for cyber traffic. Also, lots of companies don't do enough. They invest a lot of money in expensive computer systems, but invest little or nothing in awareness sessions for their employees to learn about security and data.'

**Is the problem of cybercrime underestimated?**

'Of course. Take identity fraud. Has your national ID number been leaked? Good luck, because there is very little to help you. Politicians only wake up if it directly affects them, for instance if their details are in the spotlight. Via the Land Registry details are available with a simple SMS. You can request information about an address and everything is visible, the mortgage and payments too.'

**Have you changed because of the book?**

'Yes, I am more alert, without being paranoid. I have organised my security quite well so that I won't easily become a victim of a hacking attempt. For my important files I also have a backup. But still. Recently it almost went wrong. I was in a rush and was waiting for a package to be delivered, and I received an email regarding my delivery. It was a phishing email. In my rush I went to click on the link, but stopped before pressing the button. My mouse hovered over the link, when I saw that it wasn't from PostNL. Hundreds of people are fooled everyday by these fake emails, which use logos from well-known companies, then their computers become locked. For companies the costs are enormous in work hours. This is why it's understandable to invest more in the awareness of employees.'

**Interested in the book?**

Go to: [http://www.mariagenova.nl/komt-vrouw-hcker/](http://www.mariagenova.nl/komt-vrouw-hcker/)

[More book tips](https://www.digidentity.eu/en/article/Do-you-need-some-inspiration-for-Christmas/)

WESTLAKE, Texas, Jan. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Solera Holdings, Inc., a global leader in data and software for automotive, home ownership and personal identity management, today announced it has acquired 100% ownership of Digidentity B.V., a leading provider of next-generation technologies that secure and authenticate online identities.
![icon-solera.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/e9f3e2830004c41c91b1ffd463a37632.webp)

"In today's hyper-connected world, identity verification will become an increasing part of every transaction, allowing more confidence and transparency about who really is on the other end," said [Tony Aquila](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyaquila), Solera's Founder, Chairman and CEO.

Digidentity first received an early-stage venture capital investment from Solera in 2010 and today provides digital identity verification solutions for many of the world's most influential brands and organizations, including the governments of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

"Digidentity has assembled a team of leading engineers and scientists, who have developed one of the industry's most innovative security and authentication systems," continued Aquila. "This is why we've backed the company since its early stage. Digidentity not only augments our existing identity management solutions such as Explore Data, but also helps proliferate our global mission to help manage and protect the assets that are most important to our lives: our cars, our homes and our identities."

"Our passion for innovation aligned very naturally with Solera's mindset and culture," said [Marcel Wendt](https://nl.linkedin.com/in/mwendt), Chief Technology Officer and Founder of Digidentity. "It is that mindset and Solera's culture of rapid innovation that will continue to define ground-breaking advances in digital identity protection."

The company's high-assurance validation and authentication systems create secure environments for digital transactions across industries that include banking and insurance, transportation and logistics, government services, regulatory affairs, and electronic commerce. Solera will leverage Digidentity's proprietary technology stack in service and solutions that address the rising security concerns around connected cars, smart homes and IoT devices; as well as Solera's expanding risk and asset management solutions for the automotive and home lifecycle ecosystems.

**About Solera**

Founded and continuously led by inventor and entrepreneur Tony Aquila, Solera is a global leader in digital technologies that manage and protect life's most important assets: our cars, homes and identities. Since its inception in 2005 as a garage-based startup, Solera has grown aggressively with over 40 acquisitions across its Risk Management Solutions, Service Maintenance & Repair, and Customer Retention Management platforms. The company's current product solutions include Audatex, AutoPoint, CAP/HPI, Digidentity, Enservio, Explore Data, Hollander, Identifix, Inpart, LYNX and TitleTec, as well as the company's flagship Digital Garage application. Today, Solera processes over 240 million transactions annually for approximately 200,000 partners and customers in 80+ countries. Unified by a strong culture that values uncommon entrepreneurial thinking and continuous "do-it-different" innovation, Solera's global workforce of 6,000+ associates comes from diverse forward-thinking industries that include automotive technology, artificial intelligence, software development, data sciences, cybersecurity, cognitive design, and digital identity protection. Solera went public on the NYSE in 2007 under the stock symbol "SLH", joined the S&P 400 in 2009, and went private in 2016 in a $6.5 billion transaction backed by leading investors that include Vista Equity Partners, Koch Industries and Goldman Sachs. For more information, please visit [www.solera.com](http://www.solera.com/), [fb.com/solerainnovation](https://fb.com/solerainnovation), or @soleraworks on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/soleraworks) and [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/soleraworks).

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit: [http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/solera-holdings-inc-acquires-100-ownership-of-digidentity-300395521.html](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/solera-holdings-inc-acquires-100-ownership-of-digidentity-300395521.html)

Identification verification service Digidentity has partnered with recently-launched mortgage technology platform Smartr365 to provide fast and safe digital ID verification.
![icon-verification.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/063db801c76b9a1b25b8054db12195e9.webp)
Digidentity is used by the UK government and offers internet users their own online identity.

The Digidentity technology is embedded within the Smartr365 platform and provides fast identification so financial advisers are able to move quickly through the mortgage application processes.

Conor Murphy, director of Smartr365 and Capricorn Financial, a mortgage brokerage for high-net-worth clients, said: "We're delighted to be partnering with Digidentity to be able to offer our advisers new software that will benefit them and their customers.

"We scanned the market for the best identification verification processes and Digidentity were an easy choice to make. Customer security is the cornerstone of the Smartr365 solution.

"Recently, we announced a partnership with Callcredit, further enhancing the service the Smartr365 platform provides and Callcredit is able to offer comprehensive affordability insight enabling us to build a more complete and timely picture of an applicant.

"From there our advisers can check the value of their client's home to make sure the deal fits from that perspective too, and then submit the application to the lender and to the relevant solicitor.

"The adviser, client and any introducer involved, can track the progress of the application right through to completion. This massively shortens the time taken to process a mortgage, whilst also removing most of the pitfalls from the process and increasing the likelihood of completion.

"We have used the Smartr365 platform for many years within Capricorn and the addition of the Digidentity functionality to this is a major game-changer for us."


>[Marcel Wendt](https://nl.linkedin.com/in/mwendt), founder and CTO of Digidentity, added: "With our passion for innovation we are delighted to become part of the Smartr365 technology platform. Our goal is to simplify everyone's online life together with Smartr365 to empower better financial decisions and planning for their clients."

Maintaining trust and security are two fundamental factors for ensuring consumers and businesses continue using electronic identification methods. This is ever more important in an age of online fraud and when more and more young people are active online.

![icon-egba.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/3511beb082efb15ae9a1dc7b65a0bd45.webp)

Electronic identification is the focus of the first newsletter of 2018 of the [EGBA (the European Gaming and Betting Association)](http://www.egba.eu/). More and more consumers are seeing the benefits of using electronic identification when shopping online or accessing public services. But maintaining trust and security are two fundamental factors for ensuring consumers and businesses continue using electronic identification methods. This is ever more important in an age of online fraud and when more and more young people are active online.

Marcel Wendt, our CTO and founder of Digidentity, was interviewed for their newsletter. He explains how our service works in practice, and its benefits for both consumers and businesses.

Read (the whole article in) the newsletter: [http://www.egba.eu/media/EGBA-Newsletter-March-2018.pdf](http://www.egba.eu/media/EGBA-Newsletter-March-2018.pdf)

Today we are proud to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Digidentity was founded exactly ten years ago by founder and CTO, Marcel Wendt. Starting with only one developer, the company now has 70 employees working in the office next to Hollands Spoor train station in The Hague.

![icon-reception.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/62008324a72014b959a9e72fef339385.webp)


>Marcel Wendt: “Doing business and maintaining contacts takes place more and more online; this saves (travelling) time and thus costs. That is why secure logins, conducting business online, being certain that the party you are dealing with is who they say they are, and working with digital signatures have become increasingly important.”

>Our milestones - how did we get there?

- 2010: After two years of intensive collaboration with the Dutch government, Digidentity brought out eHerkenning, a digital identity for Dutch employees who communicate with the government.
- 2012: Digidentity developed the software for DigiD, the Dutch digital authentication system for government and public services.
- 2014: After two years of collaboration with the UK government, Digidentity became one of the certified companies to provide a digital identity for British citizens, through the service GOV.UK Verify.
- 2015: Digidentity was officially accredited as a broker and identity provider of the Dutch Idensys identity framework. The company is thereby the first recognised identity provider of Idensys and has started connecting with suppliers across various industries.
- 2016: Digidentity was acquired by Solera Inc.
- 2017: Digidentity started a pilot with the US and Canadian government to move away from KBV/KBA (Knowledge Based Verification and Authentication).
- 2018: Digidentity earned accreditation in the Netherlands as a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) under eIDAS (electronic identification, authentication and trust services), the updated EU regulation standard for trusted electronic identification and transactions across the European Union. In the same year Digidentity started implementing relying parties in Germany, France and Italy.
**Marcel Wendt:** “What will the next ten years bring us? First of all, health data is very personal and has to be protected. Augmented Healthcare is coming, but what role will identity have in this space? "

We are sure the next ten years will be just as exciting!

At the Government Digital Service (GDS) our mission is to help government work better for everyone. Through digital transformation we want to put more power in the hands of citizens. And by helping government be more effective and efficient, we save money for taxpayers.
![icon-GDS-1.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/411f56dc3354b25250e069a3305ba5f7.webp)
This digital transformation means several things. It means building new digital channels that let people easily access services like applying for a new passport, updating their driving licence or checking their state pension.

It means building digital skills and capability across the civil service through initiatives like the GDS Academy so government is equipped for the future. And it also means sorting out the fundamental drivers that will allow all this transformation to happen.

One of these drivers is digital identity - letting people prove they are who they say they are online. Over the past years we've been working closely with partners across government to develop the digital identity platform GOV.UK Verify to address this.

Verify is now mature enough for us to take it to the next stage - opening it up beyond the public sector for the private sector to take the lead.

Here’s how that will work.

**GOV.UK Verify so far**

[GOV.UK Verify went live in May 2016](https://identityassurance.blog.gov.uk/2016/05/19/gov-uk-verify-update-on-progress-were-ready-to-go-live/) and is now used by organisations across government to help users do things like [check their personal tax account](https://www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account) and [view or share their driving licence information](https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence).
![icon-GDS-2__1_.png](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/5f2dc57893b55cdc532e3090e3fd2746.png)
It works by letting users prove their identity to a trusted partner company.

The company asks some questions to establish the user’s identity. It’ll check these against records held by mobile phone providers, credit agencies, the Passport Office or the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. It will then confirm the user’s identity to the government service they are using.

This process means information about users is not stored in one place and there's no unnecessary sharing of information. Furthermore, all identity providers have to meet government and international standards for security and data protection.

So far nearly 3 million people have created a GOV.UK Verify account and have performed more than 7.5 million secure transactions with government.

Through Verify, the UK is recognised as a global leader in digital identity. The model has been emulated and used by governments around the world, from the USA to the European Union.

**Working with the private sector**

The standards and guidelines which currently underpin the way Verify works will now be opened up to the private sector to build on.

Through these standards and guidelines, GDS and government will ensure there is trust and confidence in the emergent digital identity market. And the private sector will invest to ensure the success of the market, bringing in even more innovation and forward-thinking solutions.

We are taking this approach because we know digital identity is an issue across the whole economy. In the UK alone, identity fraud costs the government between £1 billion and £4 billion a year. And it costs the UK economy between £5 billion and £14 billion.

**Using Verify for government services**
![icon-GDS-3.png](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/6f425013dad515fc33b852738d9334a8.png)

While the private sector works on new developments, GOV.UK Verify will continue to protect public-sector digital services from identity fraud and other malicious activity. We’ve signed new contracts with 5 private sector identity providers, who will support Verify over the next 18 months.

Users can choose any one of these 5 certified companies to verify their identity online: Barclays, Digidentity, Experian, Post Office and SecureIdentity. People who have Verify accounts with other companies can still use their accounts for the next 12 months, while they set up accounts with the current certified companies.

To keep Verify affordable for government, we're using a tiered pricing system to reduce the cost the government will pay the providers over the 18-month period. As the number of users increases, the cost for government will go down. We are working to get to a position where Verify is cost-neutral for government and sustainable and self-supporting.

And we’ve been working hard to ensure the providers we're working with are, along with the rest of the private sector, empowered to develop commercial solutions that will benefit users and government.

**Identity assurance for the future**

We want GOV.UK Verify to be the foundation for identity platforms that can be used across the public and private sectors. For example, the same digital identity platform that helps you check your state pension could in the future help you check your savings account too.

This approach means Verify will continue to protect public-sector digital services. And it means that the private sector will be empowered to develop affordable identity assurance services that will meet all of our future private and public-sector needs. It enables a long-term, sustainable solution.

It means people can continue to use online services safely, securely and with the knowledge that a whole ecosystem of public and private partners are working to make their experience - and their lives - even easier.

Source: [Website UK Government Digital Services](https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2018/10/11/taking-gov-uk-verify-to-the-next-stage/)

![icon-europe.webp](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/5227000cf9ff412d32bc5701144ebee8.webp)
We firmly believe that your digital identity should be in your control, safe and yours to use as a basic human right. You must be able to connect securely to the products and services you want at a time that is convenient to you. You should have the controls to share and revoke information about you for a multitude of use cases as well as approve and sign documents online. Our work supporting the core national identity infrastructures in the Netherlands and UK has allowed us to build a robust and scalable system that can operate globally connecting citizens and organisations securely and conveniently in real-time.

In the past weeks we have seen and felt the power of COVID-19. Influencing the world economies and directly impacting daily life for billions of people. A lot of people are now asked and/or forced to work from home. Use of online services have seen a steep rise and the strain that comes with that. And yes, this includes us…

**The ID verification challenge is in the details**

Digidentity’s services are compliant to the eIDAS Regulation and subject to external certification. As a service supplier and ID broker we know what is needed to equip anyone with a proper, certified and internationally accepted Digital ID. To obtain a digital identity, you have to meet the requirements defined and pass a series of verification checks. This includes supplying evidence that confirm your identity. We check this evidence with authoritative sources such as government databases and Interpol to ensure your data is correct and that someone is not impersonating you. This includes ID validation and photo comparisons.

**Scale to the max**

On an average week day we process 6.000 – 8.000 identities in the UK market. In the last two weeks we have seen peak volumes of 100.000 – 125.000 new users per day. Today we have a system that enables us to onboard 250 identities per minute… and we are working to increase our performance. This unprecedented rise brought on many new challenges that no one could have expected or predict

We had to introduce a virtual waiting line. Scale our Amazon, cloud-based systems 44 times. Adjust processes and improve the flow. We developed and implemented online training for 70+ people across locations in Europe to process all manual checks. We made sure our partners weren’t overloaded when we were ready to accelerate. Our tech and development teams have worked have worked 24/7 to get this done in record time. Nevertheless, people had to wait for long periods, sometimes for 3-4 days to get verified.

This inspired us to go beyond the current platform and find new ways to support our customers and users. One such way was to accelerate the development of NFC support (read the NFC chip of your ID with your mobile phone). This implementation will optimize our registration process for most of the new customers onboarding on our systems: reducing friction, making the process faster and more secure.

**Human touch**

We have seen many responses from people feeling the pain of waiting a long time and being unsure if they could get verified and connect to Universal Credit. Our partners in the UK team at DWP have seen their share of pressure too. In a normal week they would see 55.000 calls whereas in one day whereas in March they received 2.2 million calls alone. Dealing with this level of demand is not physically possible for any organisation

**Summary**

We are very much aware we are not there yet. Digidentity has learned a lot and evolved its platform quickly to become much more flexible and capable to deal with large numbers of people using our services. We continue to learn and test new ways to support our customers. Some of these new innovations need a bit more time for evaluation and implementation. We will focus not only on the technical side of these challenges but also in other areas of our operation. Through our dedicated service desk, we will find more ways to inform and engage with our users more effectively and more frequently. The past weeks have inspired us and brought us to the heart of our mission. Helping you being the digital you, for everyone to use.

![Screenshot_2021-11-15_at_11.40.25.png](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/1377eff987c7457732149506b4db5f3c.png)

Nuremberg, Germany and The Hague, Netherlands – June 17th, 2020 – German biometrics company BioID and Dutch identity provider Digidentity, part of Solera Holdings, Inc., collaborate to offer a completely automated identity proofing process to the British government. Digidentity delivers state-of-the-art, certified identity solutions with high levels of assurance complying with eIDAS, KYC and AML regulations. For fraud prevention and automation, these are supported by the anti-spoofing liveness detection technologies from long-term partner BioID.

As a certified identity proofing service provider, Digidentity verifies over 20 million identities and their technology processes more than 300 million authentications a year. Offering remote identity verification for GOV.UK Verify, Digidentity enables the British public to access a wide range of governmental services online. Among other security features, facial recognition and biometric liveness detection by BioID are used for verifying the ID ownership and deterring fraud by presentation attacks. When validating identity online, a crucial and mandatory element to preventing identity fraud is to make sure the physical and digital person are genuinely connected. Digidentity’s trusted solutions streamline the process in real-time making human intervention unnecessary in most cases.

**Scaling GOV.UK Verify identity proofing during COVID-19**

COVID-19 has boosted the growing need of an autonomous solution to replace physical face-to-face governmental services. To maintain public administration, remote identity verification with high levels of assurance is required for a huge number of users. Within a few weeks only, Digidentity was able to scale up its service and now can onboard more than 400 UK identities per minute. BioID’s technology powered by its patented liveness detection allows for a fast and accurate service that can be accessed easily from any device within seconds. It only requires two selfies and an ID photo either retrieved via NFC technology, or captured using the mobile camera, to check the user’s presence in real-time and prevent identity fraud.

**Next Level eIDAS, KYC & AML regulatory compliance**

Trust and security do not stop at on-boarding. As a certified Trust Service Provider (TSP), Digidentity offers a full range of digital identity services that are compliant with a variety of regulations such as KYC, 5AMLD and eIDAS. BioID’s integration brings the service to the next level by means of a frictionless, automated user journey throughout the entire identity lifecycle.

Marcel Wendt, CTO of Digidentity: “We are proud to partner with BioID in supporting GOV.UK Verify during this unprecedented situation in completing critical remote identity verification. We offer organisations an easy and secure way to verify their users. Part of the verification is the ‘selfie check’ where we check if the selfie sent to us is the same as the photo on the chip of the ID document. By working together with BioID, we can further automate this process, providing a face-to-face level of assurance with liveness detection and making sure the person on the other side is really who they say they are with facial recognition.”

**About BioID**

BioID offers liveness detection, facial authentication & identity verification as a Service. With 20 years of experience its special focus is on biometric anti-spoofing Made in Germany. In line with this, the company’s facial authentication service offers data privacy and security by design. BioID is guided by the vision to enable software based biometric verification - with any device, for any application. The privately held company with R&D based in Germany has proven its technology through many years of use at enterprises, banks and government organizations.

**About Digidentity**

Digidentity is a global online identity verification company, combining smooth usability with government-grade security. Digidentity is part of Solera Holdings, Inc., a global leader in risk and asset management data and software solutions for the insurance and automotive industries. Last year alone, Digidentity’s technology processed over 300 million authentications and protected the digital identity of more than 20 million people globally. It makes online identification easier, quicker, and more secure. We enable safe digital communication between individuals and government - both in the United Kingdom and The Netherlands - and are continuously developing new and improved services. Our rigorous approach to privacy and security means that not even Digidentity employees will be able to access your data.

**Contact**

BioID GmbH Digidentity/Solera

Ann-Kathrin Freiberg +49 911 9999 898 0 [press@bioid.com](mailto:press@bioid.com) [www.bioid.com](https://www.bioid.com/)

Digidentity/SoleraOlivia Logan +1 817 961 2114 [mediainquiry@solera.com](mailto:mediainquiry@solera.com) [www.digidentity.eu](https://www.digidentity.eu/)

Do you need to log in to a Dutch government's website, such as the tax authority (de Belastingdienst), the UWV or another governmental institution? As is is often mandatory to log in to Dutch government services with eHerkenning, chances are you will need this product to register as quickly and as easily as possible. Continue reading to find out how you can do that with Digidentity.

**What is eHerkenning? **

An increasing number of companies and organisations offer their services online. To guarantee that everyone can do business in a reliable and safe way, eHerkenning has been created. For eHerkenning, you need verify your identity as well as your Chamber of Commerce (Kvk) registration online. Every company that works with eHerkenning must identify itself. This way you know for sure that your information is being sent and received in a secure and legitimate way. With eHerkenning you can log in to various government organisations, within the Netherlands and Europe. 

**What do you need to register for eHerkenning?**

Before you start the registration process, there are a few things to keep in mind. Determine where you need to log in with eHerkenning and find out what level of assurance is required to login. Many government institutions, such as the tax authorities (de Belastingdienst) and the UWV, require assurance level 3. If you only need it for the business portal of the tax authorities (de Belastingdienst), then there is eHerkenning 3 tax which you use only to log into the business portal. 

**How do I register for eHerkenning? **
**Start the process **

Digidentity's registration process is online, quick and easy. You start the application simply by choosing the right product on this page and clicking on 'Register now'. Make sure you have your identity document, smartphone and Chamber of Commerce (Kvk) number to hand. Our system takes you through the registration process, step by step. 

**Identification **

The registration process starts with the creation of your Digidentity account. In this step you download our Digidentity app on your smartphone. We verify your identity with our biometric identification method. This means that with the app we are going to read the NFC chip in your identity document. To confirm your identity, you take two selfies, which we compare with the photo on your identity document. 

**Verification **

After confirming your identity, we verify the details of the company for which you are registering eHerkenning. To do this, we ask you to enter the Chamber of Commerce (Kvk) number in this step. Based on your registration with the Chamber of Commerce (Kvk), we check the company's details. 

**Authorization **

In the final steps of the registration process, we verify that you are authorised to act on behalf of this company. If you are an authorised representative in the Chamber of Commerce (Kvk), the authorization will be automatically approved. If this is not the case, you must ask the authorised representative in your company for approval. 

When you do this, the authorised representative will receive a notification by e-mail to make the registration process as fast as possible. You also will be informed by e-mail as soon as the approval has been processed. 

**Ready to use **

When the authorization is approved, your eHerkenning account is ready to use. You will also receive a confirmation e-mail. From now on you can log in quickly and securely with eHerkenning.  

If you need eHerkenning for multiple companies, you must request a new authorisation for each company. For this, you do not need to re-identify yourself. Based on your verified identity within eHerkenning, you can request permissions for other companies. 

**Why choose Digidentity?**

Digidentity is an authorised provider of eHerkenning designated by the government. This means that we meet the assurance requirements that are necessary to make eHerkenning the trusted system that it is today. In addition, our unique identification method ensures that you are registered within minutes without leaving your desk. Add to that the fact that we do not charge any hidden costs and offer excellent service, and we become an easy choice, almost as easy as your registration.

Want to register for eHerkenning at Digidentity? Click here. If you have any questions about chain permissions or the eHerkenning broker, please contact the expert below.

Authorisations are an essential part of eHerkenning. They record who can access which services while acting on behalf of your business or organisation. This creates certainty that only designated individuals can perform specific actions, such as filing taxes, requesting subsidies or parking permits. The validity of an authorisation varies between 1 - 5 years. After this period, an authorisation must be renewed. 

To guarantee continuity of your business and workflow, it is important that authorisations are renewed in a timely manner. How the renewal process is performed depends on the specific role of the person inside the company or organisation. A designated company administrator can instantly renew authorisation for any company personnel. However, what happens when the company administrator’s own authorisations expire?  

A company administrator cannot renew their own authorisation(s). As a result, the renewal process usually involves re-requesting the relevant authorisations from the authorised signatories of the company. However, there is a more efficient option – namely appointing a second company administrator.  

Authorisations for company administrators are effortlessly renewed if there are multiple company administrators within a single company. In this scenario, the company administrator whose authorisation has expired takes on the role of an employee. The subsequent renewal request is then approved by another company administrator. 

Digidentity always recommends appointing at least two company administrators within a company or organisation. This guarantees that all authorisations can be granted and renewed in an efficient and timely manner. The company administrator role can be requested free of charge via the Digidentity website or in the Digidentity Self-Service Portal. 

For instructions on renewing authorisations, please read our FAQ article ([Dutch](lhttps://helpdesk.digidentity.eu/hc/nl/articles/360001370558 / [English](https://helpdesk.digidentity.eu/hc/nl/articles/8659757866001-How-do-I-renew-an-authorisation-))

Renewal of Authorizations

As of November 2022, Digidentity has switched banks. Subsequently, we have a new bank account number for customers. This change is effective immediately and applies to all our customers and services. We respectfully want to ask our clients to update this data in your administration at your earliest convenience.  

**Our new bank account numbers are:**

The Netherlands (Euro)  

NL39 INGB 0390 7468 43. 

United Kingdom (GBP)  

NL15 INGB 0020 2436 50  

The corresponding BIC code is INGBNL2A. 

We kindly request our customers to process the change of these bank details in their financial administration as soon as possible. Our new bank details are also stated on our invoices. Please keep in mind that our old bank account is still in use, so any payments that were accidentally transmitted to our old account number are effectively paid.  

We thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions regarding the change, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can reach our finance department via email at debiteuren@digidentity.com. 

If your organisation outsources various tasks, such as filing tax returns or arranging permits, to intermediaries you need a chain authorisation from eHerkenning. What? Who? How? Digidentity understands this may raise some questions. To help you onto the right path, we made something for you! This infographic answers the most common asked questions, and we hope it answers yours all well.  

Digidentity is a recognised supplier of eHerkenning and offer what we call a chain authorisation. With eHerkenning chain authorisation, you can authorise someone else to log in to various government services on behalf of your organisation. This gives you the opportunity to outsource various tasks, an authorised person can file tax returns, arrange permits or apply for subsidies for example. We are happy to help you manage your chain authorisations. Digidentity’s Self Service Portal makes managing chain authorisations easy.

**Frequently asked questions about eHerkenning chain authorisations at Digidentity.**
![Digidentity_pagina_ENG.png](https://digidentity.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/strapi/3bdaf35a36f08300d8c5b7412212d36d.png)
If you want to know more or need help getting started with eHerkenning chain authorisations, feel free to contact our team of experts.

As of April 2023, GOV.UK Verify is no longer being used by any government services. This means users can no longer register for this service or use an existing account to sign into any government services. 

Digidentity, as one of the identity providers for GOV.UK Verify, has verified the identities of millions of users, granting them access to government services. We would like to thank our users for trusting us with their identity verification needs over the years and look forward to continuing to deliver valuable services in the future. 

**Your Digidentity Account **

Digidentity's policy is to delete user accounts after 2 years of inactivity, except for cases where the account is being used for other Digidentity services. Existing users can reuse their accounts for other services, including Right to Work, Right to Rent, and DBS checks.  

Users also have the option to delete their own account by signing in and selecting the ‘Delete’ option from the ‘Settings’ section. If the user chooses to delete their account, the user's data will be deleted immediately.

[Sign in to Digidentity](https://my.digidentity.eu/). 

If you cannot sign in and you want to delete your account, please [contact our support team](https://digidentity.eu/en/contact/). 

**Data Retention**

Digidentity is required by the Government Digital Service to retain auditable records associated with user accounts for a period of up to seven years. For more information, please see our privacy statement  

If you have any questions regarding the discontinuation of GOV.UK Verify or about your Digidentity account, please visit our FAQ page or contact our support team.  

For alternative ways of accessing government services, please visit [https://gov.uk/verify](https://gov.uk/verify).

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