Is open source the common denominator in EU’s digital ID wallet debate?
Patrick Breyer, a German member of the European Parliament and the Pirate Party, stands solidly against some proposals for digital ID strategies (unique personal ID numbers, personal data in government hands, lack of anonymity rights, etc.) that are acceptable to a good many people in the digital ID community.
But Breyer has issued a statement saying any planned wallet must use open source code. The document is a summary of important amendments he wants to see to the European digital ID that is being hashed out.
Van Huffelen similarly says she is working on an open-source strategy to present to other EU nations.
“Everything should be open,” she says, if people believe in the digital economy and society. Few are the areas in which digital ID wallets cannot be improved with an open-source mindset.