The ability to prove that you are who you say you are is a fundamentally important building block of economic, financial and social development and inclusion. Proof of identity is generally necessary to access basic services, such as healthcare, education and financial services, and to vote in elections. Yet the World Bank estimates that more than 1.5 billion people do not have access to formal identification documentation – and most of these people are in vulnerable groups in developing countries across Africa and Asia.
Recognising this, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16.9 aims for every individual to have “free and universal legal identity, including birth registration by 2030.” As they can be used to access multiple different public and private services, effective identity systems are instrumental for realising the other UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Identity systems increase in utility as they become digital. The widespread availability and adoption of digital identity reduces the divide between those who have access to and use digital services and those who do not.
The GSMA has just published a new report exploring Regulatory and Policy trends impacting Digital Identity and the role of mobile. Mobile operators have unique resources enabling them to offer secure and scalable forms of mobile-based identities that have a positive socio-economic impact in emerging markets and help mobile users access life-enhancing services, even if they lack a formal identity document.
If they leverage these resources, mobile operators can help governments establish identities, and introduce or enhance national identity systems for birth registration, driving licences and a variety of other public sector uses. Mobile operators have been involved in birth registration systems in Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Senegal, Pakistan and several other countries, playing a vital role in bringing the population into a government-led identity system.
To facilitate the introduction and take-up of mobile-based digital identity solutions, the GSMA’s latest report examines identity-related developments and groups them into five broad trends:
- The growing momentum behind digital identity programmes and the implications for mobile operators’ role in enabling identity solutions.
- The diversity in approaches to digital identity and the need for harmonised, standardised and interoperable solutions.
- The realisation that identity-related requirements, such as mandatory SIM registration and know-your-customer (KYC) obligations for mobile financial services, need to converge, and the important role of public private partnerships.
- The need to build robust ‘trust frameworks’ by aligning several components of digital identity creation, including the technical specifications, standards and procedures, data protection, privacy and other identity-related laws, regulations, and consumer expectations.
- Finally, the impact of government requests to access communications on consumers’ trust and perceptions of digital identity solutions; and the consequent need for regulators, policymakers and mobile operators to promote transparency and proper lawful management of government access requests.
The report further highlights key regulatory policy issues and offers guidance to help regulatory policymakers establish an enabling environment for mobile-based digital identity services. It concludes by proposing recommendations for governments and mobile operators on how to establish and spread the uptake of digital identity, foster greater digital engagement between citizens and their governments, promote financial inclusion and accelerate realisation of the SDGs.