In the elections to the Parliament of Catalonia on 14 February, the novelty that may be introduced has been introduced vote without leaving home as long as the request for voting is mailed with a digital certificate. As a result, we at the AOC have received inquiries about whether digital certificates can be issued remotely, through a video identification procedure approved by the Law 6/2020 on trusted electronic servicesThis option would have been very positive to increase participation in the elections and avoid queues at the citizen service offices of the registration entities. idCAT.
At the AOC we have been working to have an online registration procedure available in theidCAT Mobile and onidCAT Certified using video identification or videoconferencing technologies. These systems are very popular in the financial sector when opening bank accounts and offer guarantees equivalent to in-person registration, according to certifications issued by official conformity assessment bodies. The use of this registration system would increase the guarantees of the current telematic registration process of theidCAT Mobile that is currently being made according to information known to both parties.
Since May 2020, the AOC has had a pilot telematic registration operational in theidCAT Mobile using video identification that has worked very satisfactorily. It is primarily aimed at groups that, in the current situation, have serious difficulties registering for theidCAT Mobile with the usual information system of the DNI or TIE and the health card. These are mainly European foreigners.
On November 11, 2020, the Law 6/2020 on trusted electronic services which has authorized the use of the video identification registration procedure for the issuance of qualified digital certificates. This is a great milestone that will make it much more agile and easy for citizens to obtain a digital certificate without leaving home and, at the same time, will save work and queues for registration entities, especially local bodies that are in high demand.
However, the application of this provision is conditional on the approval of a ministerial order that develops the technical regulation of the video identification procedure. Although there is already a draft and it has already been submitted for public consultation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation has informed us that it will not be approved until March 2021. In this context, it is absolutely unfeasible to offer a channel for the telematic application of digital certificates through the video identification procedure for the Catalan elections of 14 February.
When will the telematic issuance of telematic certificates be available?
The AOC has the technological solution available to offer the telematic broadcast ofidCAT certificates, as soon as the state regulations that regulate it are completed.
How does video identification work?
Video identification is a remote identification procedure with guarantees equivalent to the face-to-face process that works using a mobile phone with the camera active and follows the following steps:
- The citizen gives his or her consent to the video identification process
- Show both sides of your ID on camera. The document is scanned and about twenty checks are made, ensuring that the document is original and has not been manipulated.
- A “selfie” photo is taken and compared to the facial image extracted from the scanned official document, using advanced facial recognition systems.
- It is validated that the person is registered in the database of the General Directorate of Police
- The declared mobile phone number is verified with a disposable code
- The whole process is recorded and verified a posteriori by a trained operator.
