A digital identity is the information and data that identifies an individual in the digital world. In other words: an electronic/cyber representation of an individual which can be used to access online services, make purchases, interact with others on digital platforms, verify their citizenship and/or membership status.

A digital identity can include personal information as well as a person’s online behavior/actions, medical records, credentials, employment record, banking history, profile of social media use, online shopping, and travel history.

There are already a number of countries which have implemented a digital ID. 

Some have mandatory digital ID requirements to access most public services, and others are gradually pushing citizens into a mandatory digital ID by first making it “voluntary” or stating it is just “a digital ID initiative”- but the overall plan is to make most countries require a digital ID.

Singapore, Greece, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Ghana the United Arab Emirates, China, Costa Rica, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK, India, Malaysia, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Jamaica and Afghanistan already have some form of government issued digital ID or “eID” in their countries.

“However, by the end of 2026, the EU is hoping to roll out the Digital Identity (eID) Wallet, which it says is Europe’s answer to the challenges of identification”.

There is a is a difference between requiring a National ID card and a Digital ID. Most countries in the world already require citizens and legal residents to have a national ID of some sort. It is usually a card, one document - but it is not electronic. Some countries have already inserted a QR code on the national IDs. Here is a map...

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