The system is designed to be replicated and deployed in foreign jurisdictions. The concept of electronic identification was launched last week by the Minister for Information Technology and Investment, Dr Austin Gatt. The system is nearly complete and undergoing testing, however negotiations are under way to appoint an administrator. The system will be officially launched when the administrator is chosen and it will provide citizens with full interactive access to all government services.
The head of Minister Gatt's secretariat, Claudio Grech, said that the uniqueness of the authentication system had been internationally recognised.
"International negotiations are being held to replicate the authentication platform in other jurisdictions where a similar authentication system is still not available. The authentication system is in a position to be demonstrated and even deployed in another jurisdiction", said Mr Grech.
"Although no marketing efforts have been done yet, Microsoft has already received a couple of enquiries. Besides, the e-id will be one of around 30 best practices added to Microsoft's showcase systems and invariably Malta will receive an enormous amount of exposure", added Mr Grech.
He said this was the first model of the Microsoft technology centre for excellence in Malta according to the agreement signed last year. Microsoft's technology was augmented with Malta's own knowledge in the sector and will be replicated abroad. As an end-to-end solution it is the first authentication system built on the Windows Server 2003, Microsoft's latest .Net platform.
"The private sector too can make use of the authentication system at a fraction of the cost if they had to implement their own identification procedure, apart from the on-going maintenance costs. Although the system will be made available at a reasonable price it will be an added revenue stream", said Mr Grech.
When asked about the safety features implemented in the system, Mr Grech said that the authentication system has been designed to offer the best possible balance between functionality and security.
"e-id is a means through which a citizen or a business is identified over an electronic medium that operates over internet protocol. The concept is very similar to the traditional identification card which everyone uses to verify their personal details. Citizens and businesses will have a unique electronic identification number", explained Mr Grech.
"One of the biggest feats was to safeguard the confidentiality of all citizens to mitigate all concerns that data can be accessed by third parties without authorisation", explained Mr Grech.
A tripartite relationship was established to overcome this issue made up of the government as a service provider, the client and an administrator. The service provider stores all citizen's data and which is accessible only through two digital "keys".
"These will be held by the client and the administrator respectively. This was necessary to ensure that both clients and administrators cannot access any personal data without both digital "keys" together", added Mr Grech.
"Negotiations are currently being held with a potential administrator and when these are concluded the registration process will commence. It will be the only time that citizens will have to physically register their details to obtain an electronic identification "key". This decision was specifically taken to ensure that privacy was safeguarded as much as possible. The identification number will be sent by post similar to the process used for credit cards", said Mr Grech.
"Once a person is registered, they will have to activate the services they wish to make use of. This will ensure that the system is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act", added Mr Grech.
The authentication will have three levels of security. The e-id "key" provides access to entry level services. The secondary level of security will require a digital certificate that is activated by the unique e-id "key" to enable access. Level three will require both the e-id and the digital certificate together with a biometrics verification.
"The main aim is to be at the forefront of e-government in Europe. This necessitated the need to create an authentication system that is comprehensive and provides maximum assurances about the person or organisation accessing the system", said Mr Grech.
The system has been designed to allow multiple profiles for each person - these are citizen, business identity, agent and government employee.
"The e-id was one of the last pillars necessary for the completion of e-government. It will enable easy integration of the different services, that will be launched soon, with a saving of between Lm20,000 to Lm30,000 for each service. Among these there will be social services, inland revenue, value added tax, and m-government services", said Mr Grech.
Quelle: The Malta Business Weekly, 23.10.2003
