Israel introduces a unified digital ID: how it will make our lives easier

Israel's National Cyber Directorate has unveiled a strategy for a national identification system that will allow banks, insurance companies, and telecom providers to verify customer identities through a single government system. The system already has 5.5 million registered citizens.

Israel's National Cyber Directorate has presented a strategy for creating a national identification system that will enable private organizations, such as banks, insurance companies, and telecommunications firms, to verify customer identities through a unified government system. This was reported on Sunday, November 8, by the economic publication Calcalist. A similar system already operates for government websites and services, with 5.5 million citizens registered. According to the directorate's plan, various commercial entities will be able to use it. The strategy was developed by the National Cyber Directorate in cooperation with the National Digitalization Directorate, the Population and Immigration Authority of the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Finance. The system is intended for identity verification only during registration; for ongoing access, organizations will continue to use their own means. The concept also includes the creation of a national "digital identity wallet" for storing IDs, licenses, and certificates. The directorate believes that implementing the strategy will provide advantages in combating fraud and identity theft. Initially, a draft strategy is published for public comments, then it will be submitted for government approval along with a five-year implementation plan.