The EU’s incoming digital identity wallet has led to claims on social media and by politicians that Brussels plans to take away citizens’ privacy and exert control over their lives.
The wallet, which is still in the pipeline, is an app that will allow users to store important information such as official ID and banking details in one secure place. It will enable citizens, residents and businesses to prove their identity and access public and private services across Europe.
The European Commission says the wallet will be a simple and secure way to control how much information people want to share with services that ask for personal data, by taking control of the data from large organizations and returning it to the individual .
“Every time an app or website asks us to create a new digital identity or simply log in via a major platform, we have no idea what is actually happening with our data,” said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission at the unveiling of the wallet. in her 2020 State of the Union address.
“That is why the Commission will propose a secure European e-identity. One that we trust and that every citizen everywhere in Europe can use to do everything from paying taxes to renting a bike,” she added. “A technology where we can decide for ourselves which data is used and how.”
But despite this, many have taken to social media to express their fears: some with legitimate concerns, others with outlandish theories.
Even though the EU has assured that wallet users will have full control over what information is shared and with whom, some say this will deprive citizens of their freedom and privacy.
Others say Brussels plans to use the wallet to deny people rights and control them.
The Cube put some of the claims to experts to see what they made of them.
Will the wallet take away our privacy?
First, we asked whether the wallet was likely to be an invasion of privacy, as we were concerned that so much personal data would be stored in one app.
Lilly Schmidt, research associate and program leader at the Digital Society Institute at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin, said the true purpose of the wallet is to enhance, not undermine, our privacy.
‘I see where [the fear] is because fear of a state solution in general or trust in governments is always hard to come by, especially in the digital world,” she said. “But what the regulations are actually trying to do is get rid of the ‘black box’ and increase transparency.”
Professor Bart Jacobs of Radboud University Nijmegen took a more cautious approach, noting that identity wallets “can be both good and bad for our privacy.” He said that if you want to watch an age-rated movie online, for example, it’s more privacy-friendly to use your wallet to reveal just your age, rather than uploading a copy of your passport to confirm how old you are.
“That is why I argue for strict supervision of this type of new technology,” says Jacobs, one of the people behind Yivi. a similar digital identity app in the Netherlands. “It is against the law to abuse these types of systems, but the law must be enforced.”
It is also important that citizens are informed about the subject so that they fully understand the consequences of sharing data, experts say.
Sanna Toropainen, a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, noted that GDPR, the EU’s main data protection regulation, gives individuals the right to delete their data, but only in certain situations.
“For example, if the government processes personal data for a legal obligation, you do not have the right to delete data,” she says. “So while the wallet doesn’t ‘erode or take away’ our privacy, it puts the so-called regulatory burden in our hands, and we need to be trained enough to use the wallet so that we know what’s happening with our data. after we share it and what are our rights.”
Will we be at the mercy of big corporations and governments?
Another accusation against the digital wallet is that it will make EU citizens powerless against large companies and governments that want to manipulate their data.
Experts emphasized the importance of consent, and that it is ultimately up to citizens whether or not to share personal data, and not the establishment.
“Consent is a weak mechanism because people can be put under pressure,” Jacobs said. “So it is ultimately a limited form of protection, but it is certainly not the case that people are powerless in these situations.”
Schmidt also noted that citizens can see how their data is used, withdraw their consent if they notice misuse and report it to authorities. She added that the portfolio legislation was still being worked on, so it could provide additional protections.
In any case, the EU’s digital identity wallet will offer an alternative to, for example, Meta or Google’s login systems, Toropainen said. She said that while these are useful, the companies retain control of your data and you don’t know exactly how it will be used.
“The EU digital identity wallet allows you to log into Facebook and the like so you know what data is being shared as per the regulation,” she said.
However, Toropainen added that a potential downside of the wallet is that you cannot remain completely anonymous when using it, as it is linked to your legal identity and your name is shared along with any other information you hand over.
Is Europe moving towards a Chinese-style social credit system?
Other social media users have claimed that the EU’s digital identity wallet is a step away from China’s controversial social credit system, which gives individuals, companies and government agencies a credit score based on their trustworthiness.
This reliability is based on a person’s social behavior and is regulated by actions such as paying bills on time and adhering to the law.
Schmidt said it is normal for people to feel a certain degree of fear when governments introduce new technological solutions, but assured again that the EU’s digital identity wallet is a case of the government transferring control of data from itself to citizens.
“So in that sense it’s almost the opposite direction of the Chinese credit system,” she said.
Jacobs expressed a similar view, arguing that the idea that the EU’s digital identity wallet is akin to a social credit system has no basis.
“The Chinese social credit system is of a completely different order and really requires the kind of political decision that I don’t think we are ready for in Europe,” he said. “And of course, wallets can be used for such technology. But regular passports can also be used for such technology. So I think they’re fairly isolated issues.”