Unlike the proposed UK digital ID (which is not a "card"), this one is optional. Nobody is being forced to buy a smartphone and accept Apple or Google's terms of service.
Define optional? There will be new checks introduced online where you can only enter if you have an E-ID.
Companies do have to accept a physical card as well, but only if you appear physically at the companies doors. Otherwise, that statement was kind of deceptive in my opinion because there will be a lot of pressure to get one. They also decided to make it free, which shows they probably want to achieve a high adoption.
“Les personnes habitant en Suisse et les Suisses de l'étranger pourront demander une e-ID. L'utilisation de cette dernière ne sera toutefois pas obligatoire. En effet, la Confédération continuera à offrir toutes ses prestations dans le monde réel. Il faudra modifier la loi si l'on veut un jour déclarer obligatoire l'utilisation de l'e-ID dans certains cas. Un référendum pourra alors être lancé contre la modification décidée par le Parlement.”
Automatic translation: “People living in Switzerland and Swiss abroad will be able to apply for an e-ID. However, the use of the latter will not be mandatory. Indeed, the Confederation will continue to offer all its services in the real world.
It will be necessary to amend the law if one day we want to declare the use of e-ID mandatory in certain cases. A referendum can then be launched against the amendment decided by Parliament.”
Optional meaning you have the choice of using the existing physical ID. I don't see how this is deceptive. "A lot of pressure" is not the same as being unable to legally work without the digital ID.
Because they did advertise it in a way to make people believe they could still do their things online without an E-ID, which will not be the case. It's not optional online.
Companies can already request and will still be able to request a PDF scan of your ID. Or worse, video ident through a private third party.
This is the status quo for ordering alcohol online, or if you want to open a bank account.
The new E-ID based on SSI (self-sovereign identity) is so much better than the status quo from a real-world privacy perspective towards companies that must verify your identity or age.
> This is the status quo for ordering alcohol online, or if you want to open a bank account.
I just ordered alcohol yesterday and they only checked it up on delivery. There's no obligation to check it online.
> The new E-ID based on SSI (self-sovereign identity) is so much better than the status quo from a real-world privacy perspective towards companies that must verify your identity or age.
While I agree it's better than scanning your documents, it probably will become more popular since it's easier to check and integrate. That will in my opinion become a net negative for privacy
Fair, this may be a legal option for ordering alcohol. I really don't see the pure cryptographic hash "is older than 18y" as a big privacy issue though, as long as it is properly salted, does not provide other information on my identity and is unlinkable (i.e. multiple such signed claims are different).
The last time I opened an account for a financial service, as well as when creating an account with a service for digital document signatures, I had to do a video ident process with a private third party company. There was no other option, and I felt quite uneasy about it. I would have preferred the E-ID by far in both cases.
Both companies will inevitably store information about me to provide their service, independently of the identity verification. That is legitimate and inevitable for their service. That other, third party company storing a video of me holding my ID and my face into the camera is now not inevitable anymore.
But the Swiss already have a unique digital identifier for everyone living and working in Switzerland (your AVS number I think?) so it's really not optional, and is the primary purpose of the new UK id. The actual application itself is much of a muchness.
Also, the UK gov has already said there will be solutions for old people/time travellers/the Amish etc without phones. Nobody is going to force anybody to buy a phone.
