Latest news with #digitalID
Entrepreneur
13-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur UK's London 100: Pawpuss
Industry: Pets "The pet industry is overdue a digital upgrade. We've built a product that solves a real problem for owners. We believe verified pet identity will underpin the next decade of innovation in pet health, travel, and insurance – just as digital identity is doing for humans." And so Pawpass are building the first-ever digital ID for animals. From vet records and vaccine certificates to insurance details and cross-border travel documents, Pawpuss's digital ID consolidates information into a secure, verifiable and shareable profile. Owners can share their pet's ID to help vets access records faster, enable seamless onboarding for pet services, and support smoother cross-border travel. What makes Pawpuss innovative is their groundbreaking approach to pet credential verification. They've pioneered a trust layer that combines advanced cryptography with blockchain technology to create tamper-proof pet records that can be instantly verified anywhere. Unlike conventional systems that require all parties to use the same software or network, Pawpuss's solution works seamlessly across disconnected providers while maintaining the highest security standards. They have raised a pre-seed round, launched their closed Beta, participated in the Techstars Accelerator, won two Innovate UK awards, and are preparing to open our seed round. Pawpuss are just getting started!
Mail & Guardian
11-06-2025
- Mail & Guardian
Digital ID is not digital colonialism – it's an investment in Africa's future
Africa is on the cusp of a digital transformation – and digital ID is the key to unlocking it. By the end of 2025, there will be 9.5 billion people on Earth, and 25% of these people will be African. By 2100, that number will rise to 4 in 10. Africa is also the youngest continent, with a median age of 18 and 40% of its population under 14. Empowering this generation means more than just smartphones and internet access – it means building the foundational infrastructure to enable people to participate in society, protect their rights, and access opportunities. Digital ID is one of those structures. With over 500 million Africans still lacking a formal ID, closing this gap represents one of the greatest opportunities for inclusive growth on the continent. There's already clear evidence of how safe, inclusive digital ID is driving development and improving citizens' lives across Africa, expanding access to healthcare, education, and financial services. This especially impacts those who have historically been excluded – from women without documentation to rural populations without access to banks. Several African countries have opted to transition their national ID systems into digital ID systems, providing more streamlined access to basic services, including education, healthcare, and social support payments. Ethiopia is adopting digital ID using MOSIP's open source ID platform, which not only guarantees national sovereignty but also aims to enrol at least 100 million Ethiopians. At Co-Develop, we work with governments and civil society to ensure digital ID systems are built in a way that earns trust. That includes supporting tools like MOSIP and contributing to frameworks like the UNDP Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Safeguards, which help countries design infrastructure that protects rights from the start. This means embedding transparency, security, and accountability into every layer of system design—and involving the public in the process. Yet, there are still concerns and misconceptions surrounding digital ID, from fears of surveillance to claims of Western-driven agendas. These fears are not a reason to reject this technology. They signal a need for deeper engagement, so that we can overcome the barriers preventing Africans from enjoying the benefits of digital ID. What Africa needs now is an informed discourse about how digital ID can empower citizens, protect human rights, and drive inclusive growth, underpinned by robust safeguards. Some have argued that digital ID is a modern form of digital colonialism, shaped by external agendas and rooted in data extraction. But that misrepresents both the intent and the architecture of many of the systems being adopted across Africa. Open-source, safe-by-design platforms like MOSIP are designed with privacy, data minimization, and citizen control at their core. These platforms empower countries to adopt digital ID systems tailored to national laws and values and to store data under their control, forgoing dependence on private vendors or foreign entities. What is more, it's increasingly clear that African governments, technologists, and civil society are at the forefront of efforts to improve governance around digital ID systems, not passive actors. Initiatives like ID4Africa demonstrate that countries across the continent are shaping digital ID systems on their own terms, grounded in local priorities, values, and debate. At the ID4Africa 2025 AGM, both state and civil society actors from countries across Africa converged in Addis Ababa to have a constructive discourse on digital ID and how we can prioritize its use while accelerating impact. Representatives from over 48 African countries were present at this year's event, showcasing the importance of this conversation to both Governments and the enabling ecosystem. Ultimately, every new technology offers a chance to explore new frontiers that can accelerate economic growth and societal progress. With South Africa's G20 presidency this year, the continent has an unprecedented opportunity to not only scale adoption of digital ID and DPI but to shape the global governance around them. The real question is not whether we should build digital ID systems. Rather, it's about how we build them and who they serve. It is therefore critical to increase efforts to inform Africans about digital ID, highlighting both the benefits and the challenges that need to be responsibly addressed. If we don't encourage transparent and honest debate, we risk alienating people from transformative technology to the detriment of Africa's future.
Forbes
11-06-2025
- Forbes
iOS 26 — Apple Unveils New Wallet Feature To Verify Your ID Online
Another new iOS 26 feature has emerged courtesy of Apple-focused site MacRumors — a Verify with ... More Wallet on the Web option. Apple's iOS 26 is shaping up to be a major update to the iPhone maker's operating system, with a bunch of cool new features announced on June 9 at its Worldwide Developer's Conference. Some people don't like the look of iOS 26, which comes with a new design language called Liquid Glass. However, iOS 26 looks like it will be very capable, with headline features including enhancements to Apple Intelligence AI features and the ability to screen calls and messages. Now, another new iOS 26 feature has emerged courtesy of Apple-focused site MacRumors — a Verify with Wallet on the Web option. This new iOS 26 feature works exactly in the way it sounds: You will be able to use your state-issued license or digital ID to verify your age and identity online in a secure way when doing things such as buying liquor or renting a car. In practice, this means you don't have to upload your photo ID such as your passport, which contains details such as your date of birth and name, to a website. Apple's iOS 26 feature can verify your identity instead and the iPhone maker will also inform you of how the data will be used and let you know if the information will be stored by the site. The whole process is protected by end-to-end encryption, the gold standard of security which means no one can see your data, including Apple, the website and the government. This capability is already possible in apps, but Apple is expanding it to the web through support for the W3C Digital Credentials API and the FIDO CTAP protocol, MacRumors explains. From iOS 26, the web-based ID verification feature will work in Safari across all your Apple devices, as well as in other browser apps and via operating systems that offer support. The Digital ID feature in iOS 26 allows you to store state issued IDs and licenses as well as passports to verify yourself online. Other features include the ability to scan a QR code on your iPhone and authenticate via Face ID to share your Digital Wallet information with a website. Meanwhile, Apple will add support for third party apps that support licenses. The Verify with Wallet on the Web feature in iOS 26 ensures you can't use fake IDs by ensuring they are cryptographically signed. The iPhone maker has announced the initial apps that will support Verify with Wallet on the Web, including Uber Eats, Turo and U.S. Bank. At the same time, Arizona MVD, Georgia DDS and Maryland MVA will add support for their digital ID apps, MacRumors says. Apple's iOS 26 will be available this Fall, when Apple launches its new iPhone devices.
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Travel + Leisure
10-06-2025
- Travel + Leisure
You Can Use Apple Wallet for Your Passport—but Only for This 1 Type of Air Travel
Domestic travel in the U.S. is about to get easier for certain smartphone users. Apple announced the rollout of a new digital passport that will soon be available on iOS for Apple Wallet users. This digital ID will be accepted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for boarding domestic flights instead of a physical ID. Apple announced the new feature at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9. While this new change will make domestic travel easier for many Apple smartphone and watch users, the digital ID is not a replacement for a physical passport and can only be used for travel for domestic flights. It will not be accepted by TSA for international flights. For travelers flying internationally, it will still be necessary to present a physical passport in order to board a flight. 'When you use your license or ID at a TSA checkpoint, you need to authenticate with the Face ID or Touch ID associated with your license or ID before your phone presents your information to the identity reader,' the Apple website states. 'Depending on where you present your license or ID, there might be additional requirements. For example, when you present your license or ID to the TSA, their identity reader captures your image for comparison with the image presented from your license or ID in Apple Wallet.' There are some exceptions to digital ID's availability. The ID in Apple Wallet generally requires an iPhone 8 or higher, equipped with iOS 16.5 or later. In California, the ID requires iPhone XS or later with iOS 17.5 or later. For Puerto Rico, it is also necessary to have an iPhone XS or later model, but it requires iOS 18.1 at least. Travelers should confirm that their devices support the digital ID before they try to use it at an airport. Across U.S. airports new Real ID rules went into effect on May 7. The new regulations mean travelers on domestic flights must present upgraded state-issue IDs and driver's licenses in order to use those documents to fly. (Domestic travelers can also use passports to board their flights.) Perhaps the introduction of the Apple digital ID will offer another option and make it easier for domestic travelers to have multiple options of IDs to present to TSA when they fly.
Skift
09-06-2025
- Skift
Apple's Travel Upgrades: New Digital Passport, Live Translation for Messages and Calls
Apple is testing its own version of live translation, but not for face-to-face conversations through wearable devices. Users can store a digital version on their U.S. passports on iPhones starting this fall and live translations are also coming – those were the biggest travel upgrades Apple announced during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on Monday. 'While not a replacement for your physical passport, digital ID can be used for domestic travel at supported TSA checkpoints, in apps, and in person where age and identify verification are required,' according to Kathy Lin, manager for services software engineering at Apple. Google announced a similar feature in September. A TSA spokesperson told Skift at the time that it was about 10 years in the making, even as other countries have already implemented various digital passport programs. Apple already enables ID storage for nine U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Lin said there are more on the way. Below are details about more travel products that Apple announced – the upgrades are coming this fall, Apple said. Live Translation Apple is integrating live translation into the apps for Messages, FaceTime, and Phone. Those capabilities are accessible through all devices that have those apps, including the iPhone, iPad, iMac, and Watch. During calls on the Phone app, the AI can generate spoken translations between two people speaking different languages. It works even if one of the people doesn't use an iPhone, Apple said. The FaceTime app can show automatically translated captions when the calls are speaking different languages. The Messages app will send automatically translated text to a recipient, as well as automatically translate incoming messages. The iMac is getting a new phone app with the same live translation feature. Refreshed Boarding Passes The iPhone Wallet is getting an upgrade for its flight boarding passes. There's a new connection with Maps for easier airport navigation. There's a new connection to the Find My app so users can more easily see the whereabouts of any Apple Tag tracking devices and report missing bags if needed. The passes themselves will show real-time flight updates, with the ability to share with others. For Developers Apple said that developers can enable the new live translation within their third-party apps. And developers for travel and other companies can build apps that leverage generative AI from Apple Intelligence, even when the user is offline. Apple used the hiking app Alltrails as an example. With an upgraded app, the user should be able to search for hikes using everyday language. Maps: Enable phone to track when at locations like restaurants or shops and save them to Visited Places in Maps to review later or share iPhone: Take a screenshot, automatically add to calendar. iMac: Live Activities updates, like for flights or Uber, coming to menu bar Messages: Create polls in group chats for group travel planning Messages: Exchange money through Apple Cash in group messages Messages: Time sensitive text messages are marked, like if a table reservation is ready Vision Pro headset: Lifelike 3-D photos and videos Vision Pro headset: Digitally travel to Jupiter's moons Apple Music: Lyrics translation and pronunciation Last year, Apple announced the Apple Intelligence AI model and its plan for a ChatGPT-enhanced Siri. The company said that the upgraded Siri would be able to pull context from across apps to plan dinner in time for an event, or share real-time flight information. Apple has faced criticism for not releasing that anticipated feature. 'This work needed more time to reach our high quality bar, and we look forward to sharing more about it in the coming year,' said Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering for Apple, during the event on Monday.
