Google recently announced that it’s bringing new features for the Google Wallet app, which allows users in India, Singapore and Taiwan to use digital alternatives to their physical IDs and passes, to name a few. Part of the company’s official post reads:
Digital IDs are a convenient and helpful tool to help prove who you are without needing to dig through a physical wallet — and we’re continuing to expand access globally.
For these credentials to be truly useful, they need to be secure, private and effective across both physical and digital spaces. That’s why we focus on building digital IDs based on global standards with advanced privacy features like selective disclosure, where only the relevant details of a person’s ID are shared when required, ensuring everyone has a safe way to manage their identity.
With a partnership with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), users in India can now store Aadhaar credentials directly within Google Wallet, which allows for instant identity verification for select private-sector services. Several other Indian industry partners will use the feature for user verification and perks, including Cinema chain PVR INOX, BharatMatrimony, Atlys, Mygate, and Snabbit.
Google is also bringing ID passes to users in Singapore, Taiwan, and Brazil, which will allow residents to create a digital ID based on their passport information for identity or age verification during account sign-ins and in-person services. As for privacy, Google says that it’s built these tools using “selective disclosure” technology, which means that only the specific data points required for a transaction are shared with third parties.
