European Parliament Votes to Form Final Law on EU Digital Wallet
- The European Parliament has voted in favor of negotiating a mandate for talks with the EU member states on the revision of the new European Digital Identity (eID) framework.
- The plenary vote resulted in 418 votes in favor and 103 votes against the initiative, with 24 parliament members abstaining from the vote.
- Introduced in June 2021, the eID legislative proposal aims to create a “European digital identity wallet” that will enable and protect the digital identity of EU citizens.
What Is The Purpose Of The EID Framework?
The purpose of the proposed European Digital Identity (eID) framework is to enable and protect the digital identity of EU citizens. It would allow them to identify and authenticate themselves online without having to resort to commercial providers. This would address trust, security, and privacy concerns that have been raised about existing authentication practices. The framework was introduced in June 2021, and it is expected to be finalized by late 2021.
How Was The Proposal Approved?
The proposal was approved by a plenary vote on March 15th. There were 418 votes in favor, 103 votes against, with 24 members abstaining from voting. Following this endorsement, negotiations between EU council members can now begin immediately. The amendments adopted by ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy Committee) will serve as Parliament’s position during negotiations. These amendments include a standard for zero-knowledge proofs which will give users full control over their identity data.
What Are Zero-Knowledge Proofs?
Zero-knowledge proofs are a technique used by cryptography experts to verify facts without revealing any personal information or sensitive data related to those facts. In this case, they are used as part of an authentication process that ensures only authorized individuals can access certain services or systems while still protecting user privacy rights at all times.