As of September 2017, the Swiss town of Zug volition offering all of its citizens a digital identity on the Ethereum blockchain.
Zug, a Swiss town amongst the population of nearly 30,000 citizens, has been famous for its dedication to cryptocurrencies. Zug has been called the “Crypto Valley” of the fiscal reason since many of its citizens are entrepreneurs who specialize inwards digital currencies. Numerous Bitcoin together with blockchain enthusiasts direct keep flocked to the town to bring payoff of the entrepreneurial surroundings together with the crypto-awareness of the citizens. Last year, the town fifty-fifty began accepting bitcoin payments for regime services on a case basis. In addition, 1 of the 10 bitcoin ATMs inwards Switzerland is inwards Zug, which is operated past times the Zug-based Bitcoin Suisse.
On July 7, Zug published a press liberate on its official website stating its plans to offering digital identities for its citizens. According to the press release, the digital identities volition hold out based on an app that “secures personal information using blockchain applied scientific discipline together with associates it amongst a crypto address.” The organisation is completely decentralized, thence the citizens volition register their identities on the app independently, which volition hold out verified past times the town’s ain “identity control” procedures.
The Swiss government, inwards cooperation amongst external partners, is currently focusing on a centralized solution to exercise its ain digital ID service. However, according to Zug’s press release, the government’s efforts direct keep failed since the application of a centralized digital organisation is complicated together with such systems are “technically considered obsolete today.”
"We desire a unmarried electronic identity — a sort of digital passport — for all possible applications. In our city, nosotros exercise non desire this digital ID to hold out centralized simply on the blockchain. We entirely verify together with confirm the identity of a person,” Dolfi Müller, the mayor of Zug, said inwards a statement.
According to the mayor, blockchain-based identity applications should non hold out limited to urban services, fee collection or room rentals. In the get-go stage of the digital ID, a consultative “e-vote” volition hold out held to decide the usage of the innovative system. The voting is expected to bring identify inwards the saltation of 2018.
The Ethereum-based digital identity application is beingness developed past times the Institute for Financial Services Zug (IFZ) of the Lucerne University, Zug-based ConsenSys and the Zürich-based ti&m.
"Today, our digital identity even together with so lies amongst major search engines together with social networks that turn a profit from it. H5N1 self-managed, secure together with certified identity is indispensable for the functioning of an increasingly digital society. For the Crypto Valley Zug, nosotros believe inwards a inquiry collaboration amongst the fiscal sector together with regime agencies,” Mathias Bucher, lecturer at the IFZ, said.
"This pioneering projection is technically highly interesting together with fits perfectly amongst the competencies of our company: digitize amongst the greatest possible safety together with groovy user-friendliness,” Mr. Bucher added.
Both ConsenSys together with ti&m expressed their excitement virtually Zug’s digital identity project. Rouven Heck, Product Lead at ConsenSys, was delighted that the pocket-size town chose the ConsenSys web-based wallet together with identity administration system uPort to handgrip the project.
“By registering on the public, global Ethereum blockchain, the metropolis of Zug offers its citizens an innovative access for both local together with international services," said Heck.
Thomas Wüst, Founder together with CEO of ti&m, emphasized the high safety of the novel system.
"This solution provides tremendous added value for enhanced security, every bit private information remains nether the amount command of individuals spell providing a much to a greater extent than streamlined utilisation of digital services,” Wüst said.
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