Quite often, the existing password systems no longer satisfy our needs, nor do they offer sufficient levels of security. In order to guarantee us safe participation in the information society, Estonia has implemented the ID-card all over the country.
The ID-card is the primary identity document. It is used to identify persons not only in the physical world but also in electronic environments.
Additionally, the ID-card can be used to encrypt documents and add a digital signature which legally is equal to a regular signature on paper. Thanks to the ID-card and the digital signature, Estonia was well- equipped to hold the first Internet-based elections in the world; eVoting was possible in the local government elections in 2005 and in the parliamentary elections in 2007.
More than 80% of Estonian residents have an ID-card
Together with the ID-card, each ID-card holder also receives an official email address in the form of firstname.lastname@eesti.ee. The address is intended for official communications with the state.
This address is also a kind of “official electronic place of residence” for the resident – any official letters concerning an individual can be sent to the relevant email address.
Today, the ID-card allows people to access almost any E-service environment in Estonia (the banks, the state portal, the customer service environments for utility companies, etc).
