Thailand 4.0 and Modern Digital Identification

           Wouldn’t you agree that one of the most boring things about applications is that you have to fill in the same form and submit the same identity verification every single time? Good news! A new identification service called “Digital ID” is being launched.

           Digital ID is a centralized identity platform that collects identification data from every department, whether it is an ID card, documents, or biometrics like fingerprints and faces. When all is accessible in one place, identification will become much more faster, taking minutes instead of hours. Moreover, the risk of identity theft and document fraud will be reduced, hence the overall banking and official process will be more pleasant and secure.

           Apart from financial institutions and government, the benefits of Digital ID will soon reach businesses in other industries too such as those that require legal contracts or hospitals that need to retrieve a patient’s medical records from another hospital. These businesses could easily receive identification data.

           Several other countries have also adopted similar identification systems. For example, Singapore has created a mobile application called SingPass Mobile that provides fast, easy, and secure access to identity and e-government services through fingerprints. This followed a data breach that leaked 1.5 million medical records including those of Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister.

           Thailand’s Digital ID will be the responsibility of a company called NDID. Up to now the system has been partially introduced and a bill has been proposed to oversee three main goals:
           * Develop a digital identity validation and verification system as a national infrastructure
           * Devise regulations, policies, and conditions of service, such a digital identity validation and verification system, including service provider regulations
           * Improve government services

           The bill has now been passed by the legislature, so Digital ID is very likely to come into force soon. Will it will bring us much closer to Thailand 4.0? And how will it add to our competitive edge? Only time will tell.