Identity management of e-ID, privacy and security in Europe. A human rights view

Abstract

With privacy enhancing identity management, end users are given better ways for managing their identities for specific contexts. One could easily argue that the need to implement identity management systems that are privacy enhancing follows from the EU data protection regulation. One of the challenges while developing privacy enhancing identity management is getting governments to become genuinely interested, both in their capacity of data processing organisation and legislator or policy maker. Another challenge, this time for the private sector, is to find the right balance between data protection perfection and simplicity or users' convenience, while developing privacy enhancing identity management systems. After a brief discussion of these challenges we discuss the growing human rights recognition of the value of digital identity and its management. In particular, the German constitutional court seems to pave the way for a basic right to have digital identity protected and secured.