Munich, 08 February 2022, IDnow, a leading German provider for identity verification, will in future, enable every user to store their verified ID data locally on their smartphone in addition to their digital proof of vaccination in the luca app. This makes it possible to visit a restaurant, café or bar just by the luca app and without a manual ID check.
“Everyone knows the situation: you enter a restaurant and are asked for proof of vaccination. You pull out your mobile phone and have the QR code quickly at hand. Then the search for the wallet begins, as you must show your ID card. This annoying everyday problem will soon be a thing of the past. We are giving restaurants and other locations digital tools to work more efficiently and cost-effectively and to get back to pre-Corona levels more easily. In addition to the integration of payment services, this includes the uncomplicated ID solution that we are now providing with IDnow,” says Patrick Hennig, Managing Director of culture4life GmbH, operator of the luca app.
The reason for the ID check is the fact that the vaccination certificate, with whose QR code the digital proof of vaccination is generated, can also be scanned by other people. To avoid fraud, most state governments require the person to be matched by an ID document in addition to the vaccination certificate.
In the future, the luca app will digitize and simplify this process together with IDnow. luca users will soon be able to identify themselves once via the IDnow app and their digital identity will be stored locally on the smartphone. Within the luca app, the identity will be linked to the vaccination certificate. Only the identified person can check in at the restaurant using fingerprint or FaceID. This eliminates the need to show the ID card.
Technically, the identity is transmitted back to luca as so-called verifiable credentials from IDnow. The data is saved exclusively on the smartphone and encrypted with the help of the Secure Element. There is no central storage of the data. By storing the data locally, the user retains full control over his or her digital identity. From a data protection point of view, this approach is optimal because neither luca nor IDnow can access the data stored on the smartphone.
“With this use case, luca and IDnow are setting a positive example for the use of digital identities in everyday life. While the use of digital identities is already enjoying great popularity in other European countries, such as Belgium and Sweden, Germany is lagging behind. IDnow wants to change that and is already working with other partners on relevant use cases that use digital identity to simplify everyday situations.” Armin Bauer, Co-Founder and CTO of IDnow.
