In 2024, the European Parliament approved the eIDAS 2.0 regulation, which requires member states to offer an official digital wallet (EUDI Wallet) by 2027. This government-backed app will store ID cards, driver's licenses, diplomas, and prescriptions with legal validity across the EU. Its main advantage: identifying yourself online without sharing unnecessary data, using selective disclosure or zero-knowledge proof.
How selective disclosure and zero-knowledge proof work 🔐
The EUDI Wallet uses advanced cryptography so that when you register at a bank, you only share the strictly necessary data in seconds, eliminating manual processes. With zero-knowledge proof, you can verify your age without revealing your date of birth. It also allows you to sign electronically with legal validity. Developers implement protocols like ISO 18013-5 to ensure interoperability between countries and prevent the system from becoming a digital catch-all.
Goodbye to the ID photo you never liked 😅
Finally, you'll be able to prove you're old enough to buy beer without the clerk seeing your date of birth and making comments about your age. The EU promises you won't share superfluous data, although surely some politician will try to add a field for your favorite sock color. Meanwhile, European mail carriers are already rubbing their hands together: fewer bank letters, more push notifications.