Hello. We're here at EIC 2024, and we're talking about the future of digital identity. And joining me today is independent advisor to the travel and tourism industry Annet Steenbergen. Welcome, Annet.
Thank you.
So great to see you again here in Berlin. And I wanted to ask you, what was the one single, what is the one single digital identity innovation you think has had or will have the greatest impact on travel and tourism?
There's not really one. If I had to pick one, the crucial one for a global outreach is, of course, a digital version of the passport, a digital file of the passport, which is the ICAO digital travel credential. And it's not really an innovation, but it's a standard, for which the first type, the type one which is self-derived, was published in the fall of 2020. But we're starting to see the first pilots, use cases, being tried. And, this is really important because we need a passport to cross an international border. And so if we want to do anything digital, we will need a digital version that we can use and that is trusted by governments as secure.
So we'll talk a bit more about the credentials you mentioned. But tell me when you said there are some pilots already, when will travelers sort of start to see and feel the impact of that innovation?
That's a very good question. And I can't really predict it because it has to do with, reciprocity also between countries. Countries using it unilaterally. But I think there's a big chance that the EU digital wallet will use it, hopefully. I really hope that. And can make it available for a large number for citizens all over Europe to trust and then to use. And then hopefully it will be in reciprocity will be used and accepted elsewhere. But that's a large step.
Okay. So now earlier you were going to say there were several innovations. So we can say, well, what else is on your list of top innovations in digital identity that you think is really helping this industry?
Well of course the wallet, the EU digital identity is really important because, they're looking at travel and you see the new call for proposals for, consortia for large scale pilots has four topics, one is travel. Other important developments are Digiyatra in India, where there's a digital identity for travel nationally within India. And I know they're closely looking at what we're doing here, in Europe. So that's important. I see, DHS in the US, Department of Homeland Security looking at all kinds of innovations, and having some contracts signed with European eIDAS compliant companies as well. So that's something to closely follow. And of course, what's really, what I really find also very interesting is the POC that IATA, the International Air Transport Association, which is the biggest trade body for aviation, has done with their One ID project or scheme. And they developed a passport credential which could be a solution to have the aviation industry use the passport, the digital travel credential.
Okay. Well, we'll come back to that. I just wanted to ask you first, what are the key features and benefits of the account, digital travel credential, the DTC that you've already mentioned and how do you envisage it transforming the future of travel?
Well, like I said, if we cross international borders, we need a passport. A passport is handed to you via governments and saying, this is Annet Steenbergen, we vouched for her, this is her. And that sounds simple, but that's what you need. You can't cross the border with your Google account. You will need a passport for that. And, the ICAO is the first global standard for anything digital, for passports. To have a digital file that you can use, that you can share in advance, that is a high level of assurance, PKD infrastructure, governments can check this, and it's secure. So that is a major step. One of the discussions I hear here at EIC is, how will we be interoperable? Will there be one digital trust framework? What will we do? Well, this is step one, to have at least one standard that we can all work with. There are, however, some challenges with the digital travel credential, because it is developed to be used by border control authorities. But in real life, we use our passports in the physical world, to check into a hotel, to open a bank account to identify ourselves very often it's us, and it's even in, in local regulations. For instance, if you want to check in to a hotel, they always check your passport. And the selective disclosure possibilities that the digital travel credential ICAO developed, has limitations because selective disclosure is only possible per data group. And in a data group, for instance, data group one has the biographical information. Most biographical information is in there. That's too much information. So you have, you’re not meeting any data minimization standards of data privacy standards. So there is an issue there. So there is, it's totally logical that it's used for border control authorities. And then they have, they should be able to read all the data, but in a private use case setting it shouldn't. So there is, this is where we don't know what will happen. And this is where IATA's POC developed the passport credential which incorporates the DTC and puts it in a credential. So there is, that's an interesting development that is still a POC there continuing to a second POC. So let's see how that develops.
But essentially ICAO and IATA initiatives aren’t working in opposite directions. The kind of, the direction of travel, if you pardon the pun, is more or less the same.
It is. But like I said, ICAO is where, you know, the member states are governments. And of course, IATA is closely involved, is involved in all the meetings but is not a member state, it’s not a state. And so there are... this topic is in that world not new. And everybody is looking at it. The EU is also looking at it. How do we deal with it with the wallet? So it is more that aviation has to comply with rules and regulations set by ICAO. So for instance, if you board an international flight, they have to make sure that you are in possession of the right document to enter at the destination they're taking you, or they get which is called the carrier responsibility, they will get a big fine if they take you to the US on my passport, then they get a big fine. So to make sure that you're in possession of your passport and it's valid and you have an ESTA, they need to do these checks. So this is where there's a bit of a discrepancy. Because if you want to take that digitally, that process, if you if you digitize that process, you hit this wall of data privacy and data minimization that you can't comply with.
I'm sure the business angle will help drive these initiatives and get them to work together. I mean, one of the biggest potential opportunities you see in, from a business perspective of a digital travel credential?
Oh, they’re manifold. And this is, when we started out in the... I used to work for the government of Aruba. We did a big pilot for seamless travel, which was what we now call old school local identity management system with a biometric token. But we did unite the public and private partners. So the government, the airport and the airline. What you need is, you need to facilitate the passenger facilitation process, which is basically to get a passenger, on board a flight and a lot of steps, as you know, when you travel, you have to take touchpoints, we call them. These need to be smooth. They need to create a good passenger experience. But at the same time, this needs to be balanced and be very secure and safe because we're talking about crossing borders. And aviation security, as you can imagine, is about keeping the airport safe, keeping the aviation safe, but it's also keeping a country safe. It's about countering, transborder, organized crime, terrorism, human smuggling. So these factors come into account as well. And you can, with digitization, you balance it out perfectly. You make a process more efficient. You make it faster. The aviation world likes to speak of a walking pace experience. That's the aim. If we bring biometrics into play, then we have a possibility to make it more secure, more safe, more fun, with more ease, better passenger experience at the same time.
Okay, so you've mentioned biometrics as recipient of the Women in Biometrics award. How do you see that evolving in the next ten years?
The opportunities are manifold. because, the technology is all there, off the shelf. What we're dealing with is regulation. How can we use it? Is consent done? Is it decentralized? Do we not store the biometrics? Those are important factors. Can we do it proximity use? Because then we have a lot of opportunities. And this is where the wallet in the bit, there is no biometrics. So how do we bring the biometrics into play? And biometrics is also, mind you, very important to bind a holder to the document, for instance. How do I know it’s your documents? Because the biometrics. That's the only thing that makes, that links it. And that is also a secure factor to then process you faster with biometrics through all these touch points at an airport. Or it could be at a ferry or, a train station of course. Other options beyond aviation, obviously. So biometrics is key.
Great. Thank you. thank you so much for sharing your perspectives today, Annet Steenbergen.
Thank you very much.
