Taiwan is expected to apply block-chain technology to digital ID cards that are preparing for full issuance.
Chun Mei Ling, Taiwan’s chief executive officer, said the government will replace the current 6th generation paper ID card in the second half of 2020 by issuing a “New eID” according to the China China Times. Chun also mentioned that it would apply block-chain or cryptographic techniques to identify this digital identity.
This digital identification card will serve as a kind of ‘key’ and will not only recognize people, but will also be able to use the database of government agencies via the government’s network using block-chain or encryption technology when needed, Chun said.
The identification of digital identities basically has an identification function, but it is not directly related to the individual’s data, so it will not infringe the privacy of the individual.
The digital identity identification issue plan has already been made public. It will be issued in full by the second half of 2020 through discussion of related ministries. Taiwan sees digital identity identification as an important role for the smart society in the digital economy era.
The prospect of applying block-chain technology to national personal information management will increase in the future.
In addition, the introduction of electronic identification cards in the Greater China region is becoming more and more likely to be applied to identity recognition and management.
In August, Huawei and the Chinese police started a project to embed electronic ID (eID) on their smartphones through the development of electronic identification cards.
In November last year, Guangdong Police in China introduced ‘e-resident ID’, allowing facial recognition check-in at more than 150 three-star hotels in the province. The Chinese media predicted that if block-chain technology was applied to such an ID system, it could be used by people all over the world.
Taiwan is one of the countries that are actively adopting the block chain technology. He recently announced the first smart logistics block chain platform to be applied to supply chain improvement.
