AfriPulse
Good news, Home Affairs is working on new South African digital IDs that will keep all pertinent information on your smartphone. Think of it as a digital version of your identity document, birth certificate, marriage certificate and any other official government documents (UIF, SARS, SASSA, etc) that you can keep on your smartphone.
SOUTH AFRICAN DIGITAL IDS ARE COMING
But hang on a moment, do the planned South African digital IDs mean the end of the current paper booklet and plastic Smart ID cards? Yes and no … Yes, in the future you will be able to prove who you are only using facial or fingerprint recognition (biometrics) digitally. However, traditional green ID books and Smart ID cards are not going anywhere.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) explains that South African digital IDs are merely ‘an extra option’ and not an outright replacement. It is completely voluntary and nobody will be forced to use it. But why …?
VOLUNTARY OPTION
Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber is focused on fully digitising his department, but not to the point he exclude any residents. Image: File
So, why is the DHA creating South African digital IDs, only to make them non-mandatory? There are a few reasons:
The added security will it make it harder for criminals to steal your identity.
It will cut down on fraud, corruption and illegal immigration.
To let you access government services directly from your smartphone.
It speeds up processes that currently require you to stand in long queues.
In turn, government says nobody should be left out of this system. Physical IDs will remain in use, so the neediest residents who don’t have a smartphone or reliable internet, won’t be any worse off.
SOUTH AFRICAN DIGITAL IDS SECURITY
Moreover, security experts say the new South African digital IDs actually possess very strong security. This includes face-matching technology to confirm you’re a real person, fingerprint checks to prevent duplicate identities, and encrypted digital documents that are impossible to fake.
Likewise, privacy laws (POPIA) will also strictly govern how your data is used. Therefore, regulations have been published and South Africans can submit comments on them by clicking HERE. The technical wor
Source: The South African | Read the Full Story…
