Gradiant leads a project to develop a technology capable of verifying the identity of citizens in the online processes of public services in a secure, easy-to-use and private way. To do so, the alliance will work on the concept of Electronic Identity (eID), the way users can identify themselves through the network and will use Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technologies to ensure the process. This is IMPULSE (Identity Management in PUbLic SErvices), an initiative with a budget of around four million euros and involving up to 16 entities from 9 different countries.
Beyond its functionalities, IMPULSE seeks to be a tool to make easier the digitalisation of the European public sector. Digital processes are increasingly used by citizens. The current health crisis around the world has limited personal interactions, digitising all kinds of procedures. This brings a number of problems, not only for those unfamiliar with the complex identification systems on the internet, but also for those who are not comfortable providing personal data over the internet.
The 16 partners that make up this consortium will create a tool to meet all the ethical and legal requirements so it can be useful for public services in all the countries of the European Union, regardless of the culture and degree of digitalisation. IMPULSE will become the clear representation of an efficient, useful and safe modernisation.
The combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain will offer a technology advantage over the most common systems. This was confirmed earlier this week at the project kick off meeting. At the event, all partners were very optimistic about the results that the initiative will offer and the pace of work that is expected to be maintained throughout the project thanks to the experience and professionalism of those involved.
The consortium, made up of partners from Spain, Italy, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Finland, Iceland, France and Denmark, is funded by the European Union with €4 million under the Horizon 2020 programme. Spain will receive more than €1.1 million in funding.
“The digitalisation of public administration services is one of the seven flagship initiatives identified in the NextGen Europe programme, which gives an idea of the strategic dimension of IMPULSE.” “In this context, the project was born with a clear objective of facilitating the access of citizens to these services but without giving up the maximum guarantees of security, something essential if we want to move towards a fully digitised and inclusive society,” explains Luis Pérez-Freire, Executive Director at Gradiant, the Spanish RTO leading the IMPULSE project.
In a world where it is increasingly common to carry out all kinds of processes online, avoiding fraud and deception is only possible with first-class technology. Approved in the call Transformative impact of disruptive technologies in public services (DT-TRANSFORMATIONS-02-2018-2019-2020), IMPULSE will develop a system to respond to the needs of citizens and public administrations in digital processes.
IMPULSE’s innovation focuses on combining two of the most promising technologies available, such as Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain networks, with the aim of improving the management of digital identity and electronic identification in the public sector. The technology with the potential to overcome these challenges so its application in the field of digital identity will substantially improve the existing electronic identification systems.
Most citizens have an electronic identity card to carry out the authentication processes with the online services offered by the administration; however, its use is cumbersome due in large part to the lack of user-friendly interfaces for the common citizen. To overcome this adversity, IMPULSE will incorporate advanced face biometrics and document validation techniques based on AI to facilitate identification processes and provide the user with a digital onboarding experience that is fully transparent.
In addition, blockchain technology and the use of smart contracts will allow adding trustworthiness in the process, providing mechanisms for users to demonstrate the identity without the need to disclose the personal data to third parties, a priority, not reliable. In this way, the citizen will maintain total control of the data and will be able to verify at all times the use that is being given to them.
