eID for online business in clarification
The Federal Council is relying on systems developed by the market for state-recognized electronic identities. The Federal Department of Justice and Police must prepare a consultation draft in this regard.
With a passport or an identity card, a person can prove his or her identity in everyday life. On the Internet, this proof is currently very cumbersome to provide. That is why electronic proof of identity, also known as eID, is needed for the digital world. Such state-recognized electronic means of identification are important for the further development of online business and e-government applications.
Market to provide eID systems
To this end, the Federal Council today instructed the FDJP to submit a consultation draft to the Federal Council by the end of 2016. In doing so, it took note of a corresponding concept from the FDJP and decided on certain key points. According to this, the issuance of a separate state eID by the Confederation is no longer envisaged. This would not be able to cope with the rapid and dynamic development of the technology and the behavior of users and would compete with innovative solutions on the market. Instead, the Federal Council wants to focus on defining the legal and technical framework. These will enable identity service providers to have their eID systems recognized by the state. This ensures that commercially successful eID systems can enter the market and adapt quickly to technological developments. In addition, approved identity service providers will be able to obtain government-held identity data (such as surnames, first names, dates of birth) via an electronic interface. The identity service providers will demonstrate compliance with all organizational and technical security requirements by means of annual certification by a testing body recognized by the federal government.
The one-off investment costs amount to around six million Swiss francs, and the annual recurring costs are around two million. State-recognized eID systems should be able to be introduced from 2019.
Identity card renewal project continues independently of eID
The project to renew the identity card will be continued independently of the work on the eID. Since, from today's perspective, there is no immediate need for a biometric identity card, the new identity card, which is expected to be available in 2019, will be available exclusively without a biometric chip until further notice.
Press release Federal Department of Justice and Police
