Electronic Identity Cards for User Authenticationȁ4;Promise and Practice

摘要

Electronic identity (eID) cards promise to supply a universal, nationwide user authentication mechanism. Most European countries have started deploying eID for government and private-sector applications. The German eID project serves as a showcase for eID from an application perspective. The new German ID card is contactless, aims to protect people's privacy to the greatest extent possible, and supports cryptographically strong mutual authentication between users and services. Privacy features include support for pseudonymous authentication and per-service controlled access to individual data items. The core technology seems ready for mass deployment, but application issues might hamper eID adoption for online applications.