Nordic Council allows cross-border use of MitID digital ID system
This decision is expected to remove existing technical barriers and foster cooperation in digital identity management across national borders.
The Nordic Council of Ministers, responsible for cooperation among Nordic countries, has decided to allow the use of Denmark’s MitID digital ID system in other Nordic and Baltic countries. For example, Danes residing in Sweden can use MitID to access Swedish digital services requiring a digital ID.
MitID is an online ID used in Denmark for public services and some private services like online banking, but it’s not mandatory. Technical barriers prevent MitID from being used in other Nordic and Baltic countries, but these barriers will be removed.
Denmark’s Minister for Digitization, Marie Bjerre, sees this as an opportunity to demonstrate how digital solutions can be used effectively across national borders in cooperation with Nordic and Baltic nations. The Nordic Council of Ministers for Digitization has authorized ongoing collaboration to develop identity matching between participating countries to facilitate this.
Why does it matter?
Allowing citizens to use their MitID across borders simplifies access to digital services and fosters a sense of regional unity. Nonetheless, developing identity-matching systems that work seamlessly across different national databases can be challenging and could raise questions about data security and privacy.
About author
DW Team
The GIP Digital Watch Observatory team, consisting of over 30 digital policy experts from around the world, excels in the fields of research and analysis on digital policy issues. The team is backed by the creative prowess of Creative Lab Diplo and the technical expertise of the Diplo tech team.