Introduction of new ID cards may cause problems with e-services
The Police and Border Guard (PPA) are introducing Estonia's new ID cards a month sooner than originally planned, which according to the Information System Authority (RIA) could lead to problems with e-services. By now the ID card is so widely used that across its roughly 5,000 applications there could be problems, RIA's Margus Arm told ERR.
According to an estimate by the Estonian Banking Association concerning the roll-out of changes to Estonia's e-services for the new ID card, the information systems for the country's social and health care systems are on schedule, but secondary applications may be lagging behind.
Margus Arm, in charge of the electronic ID department at RIA, explained to ERR's Aktuaalne kaamera newscast on Wednesday that while the ID.ee website is ready and all the necessary manuals for the use of the new card are available, the ID card is applied so widely in Estonia that there might still be issues.
"There are about 5,000 e-services that use the ID card," Arm said. "We use the ID card as a loyalty card [in supermarkets and shops], and people rely on the card to an extent that we can't guarantee that everything will run like clockwork from the first day the new ID card is issued."
Anyone who is issued an ID card on 3 December and afterwards will get the new card, the PPA said. This is roughly a month earlier than originally planned. The police is expected to start testing the new card in the coming days.
According to Tiit Hallas, in charge of information systems at the Estonian Banking Association, anyone with a Mobile ID and also users of the Smart ID service will have an alternative anyway should their cards not work.
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Editor: Dario Cavegn
