Collection:Electronic identification

An electronic identification (eID) program is a digital system for verifying identity. eID enables citizens and organizations to access various services, including government benefits, banking, and e-commerce. It's used for online authentication, digital signatures, and increasingly for voting in some countries. eID systems can be required for certain transactions or to access full functionality of some services.

Developing free software eID alternatives is challenging due to the complexity of these systems. Reverse engineering proprietary solutions is often necessary to create free eID programs, a complex process that has led to their limited availability. The Swedish BankID serves as an example, where community efforts to create a free alternative emerged when companies resisted open-sourcing. However, the competitive landscape made maintaining these community-driven versions increasingly difficult over time

This page catalogs eID programs distributed as free software, aiming to provide users with alternatives that can be audited for security and privacy concerns.

International

Social media

• Twitter^ref

European Union

European Digital Identity Wallet (EDIW)

• "the EU digital identity wallet will provide an alternative to the likes of Meta or Google’s login systems" - https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/04/16/fact-check-is-the-eu-digital-identity-wallet-going-to-strip-away-our-privacy

Belgium

• eID: https://eid.belgium.be/en/linux-eid-software-installation
  • Debian installation guide: "The official eID software repository is available through extrepo..." - https://wiki.debian.org/BeID
    • extrepo is in the main repository, so it's free
• eID DSS

Firefox add-on:

• Belgium eID
  • https://gnuzilla.gnu.org/mozzarella/extension.php?id=51744
  • IceCat/Belgium eID

Sweden

Services

1177.se

1177.se requires phone calls (often overloaded cue) or electronic login (website, or android app) which requires the proprietary eID programs: BankID, Foreign eID, Freja eID Plus, or Telia e-legitimation. Unfortunately, there's no free eID options at the moment.

eID

Bank ID

Governments in many countries demand by law that cryptocurrency exchange companies to require Bank ID for their customers to sign in to their services. Also, industrial countries are slowly merging to cashless societies.

Free eID replacement		Proprietary eID
Software	Status	Software	System requirements	Mandatory log in (privacy issue)	Options without eID	Country or territory
FriBID	Obsolete	BankID	System requirements Android 7 or later Also, the device must have: Android with Google Play Services eller Huawei Mobile Services A rear camera	Standard eID payment system in Sweden, required by many electronic businesses	Electronic payments: Electronic businesses and banks sign contract if the payment method should require BankID and which form of BankID that is acceptable. Mobilt BankID is often the only payment option.	Sweden

COVID vaccine passport apps for Android

International

App	Status	Proprietary dependency (eg eID)	Country or territory
CovPass	Working	?	European Union (EU)
CovPassCheck	Working	?	European Union (EU)

National

Software	Status	Proprietary dependency (eg eID)	Country or territory
CovidAt	Working	?	France