Hong Kong to roll out electronic identification in two years to boost e-transactions
But will city make the same mistakes it did in similar plan 17 years ago?
The government’s HK$100 million plan to issue “electronic identification” for Hong Kong residents to allow easier access to online public and commercial services parallels a similar plan unveiled 17 years ago that never took off as hoped.
The Post has learned that the new electronic ID is expected to be launched within two years. According to Secretary for Innovation and Technology Nicholas Yang Wei-hsiung, the e-ID will allow Hongkongers easier access to online services offered by the government and stronger safeguards of their personal data.
Yang said the e-ID would “foster the development of new economic service models that emphasise direct interface with residents and consumers”.
But similar hopes were echoed by the government in 2000 when it launched electronic certification (e-Cert). E-Cert was a digital certificate issued by a certification authority which verified a user’s identity during authentication of electronic transactions.
Then postmaster general Luk Ping-chuen said: “The main purpose of e-Cert is to support the government’s call for turning Hong Kong into a digital city,” similar to how e-ID is expected to push Hong Kong into becoming a “smart city”.
