In the Future, We’ll All Use Our Phones to Identify Ourselves

[Commentary] By the end of 2016, 96 percent of individuals worldwide will be equipped with mobile technology, according to the OECD. Mobile identity -- the creation of a mechanism for accessing online services with a high level of security on mobile devices -- is on the march. The recent adoption of Near Field Communication by Apple, for Apple Pay and the Apple Watch, is a strong signal for public authorities and markets. Mobile identity will be the virtual umbilical cord continuously linking each individual to their public or social life. We should enthusiastically welcome the spread of mobile, the rapid convergence of manufacturers working on mobile security, the availability of robust secure technologies that have already tested in national mobile ID schemes and the spread of NFC as a contactless technology to access information and communicate with all the objects present in our day-to-day environment. If we can do that, citizens will be able to use their phones as an authentication and signature tool in an environment they can trust, opening the door to a rich array of e-government services – such as filing taxes, signing government documents or applying for a visa.

[Pattinson is the senior vice president of government sales at Austin-based Gemalto North America]