Testing of a digital travel ID for crossing borders has been hailed a success and, as a result, travel IT solutions firm SITA, and software ecosystem developer Indicio are moving to develop and distribute the technology.
The new app-based credential wallet pulls data from passport chips to provide high-quality data for risk assessment to the border authorities. To ensure security and privacy of personal information, the app holds the data in a decentralised system on the user’s personal server, and requires the user to briefly grant permission to border authorities to access this data.
The testing in April, with the co-operation of the Aruba government, asked participating travellers from the US and Canada to download an app that would house their passport data in a digital format. This shortened their travel times as the digital IDs cleared them in their departure cities and eliminated the need to show their passport on arrival in Aruba.
According to Jeremy Springall, SITA Senior VP for Border Management, the new technology sped up passengers’ travel process by about 90%, as the digital ID can be used to verify identity for flights, border crossings, car-rental pick-ups, hotel check-ins and event or attraction entrance.
The biggest challenge to implementation is the need for co-operation and agreement among governments, airports and airlines. According to Springall, interest in open-source, decentralised identity technology is picking up across the world, particularly in emerging markets.
“I’ve been presenting at conferences in Africa; even though the infrastructure there is more limited today, this technology enables them to almost surpass what other countries are doing because they are not held back by legacy systems,” Springall said.
SITA’s Passenger IT Insight survey in 2022 found that positive feelings towards using technology for identity control had increased by 11% since 2016. Furthermore, Iata’s 2022 Global Passenger Survey found that more than 80% of people were willing to upload their passport data to speed up airport processing.
“We are of the belief, as are many other industry players like Iata, that we are moving away from travelling with a physical passport and moving towards a digital way of travelling,” Springall said. “It took a little while for people to be comfortable with putting your credit card on your mobile phone and now we are all very comfortable using mobile wallets. Why not capture more information in relation to digital identities for travel?”
In order to accelerate this development and the deployment of the technology, SITA and Indicio have entered a co-innovation agreement.
Using Indicio-proven technology, the digital travel credentials can access a trusted network that makes verification for travellers, governments and suppliers, including airlines and hotels, more efficient. SITA is also integrating the technology with SmartPath, SITA’s identity management solution, which allows travellers to use biometrics in the process of verifying their identities.
Airports, airlines and governments have shown interest in the technology because its digital identification is user-managed. Springall explained that it was because, once implemented, airlines would no longer have to store travellers’ personally identifiable information, reducing risk of violating the European Union General Data Protection Regulation and other privacy measures.
