Campaigning group ‘NO2ID’ joins STORK platform

The “European eID Interoperability Platform”, or STORK, is an EU-funded programme to set up standards for the interoperability of electronic ID systems across Europe. The project has recently caught the attention of NO2ID, the UK-based campaign against ID cards and the database state which, “after careful negotiation over several months” and a grant from Microsoft’s corporate social responsibility fund to cover the costs of its participation, has now been formally admitted to a STORK working group, representing civil society interests.

“As far as we know, we are the first non-governmental and non-corporate organisation to be given such a level of access”, said No2ID. “As things stand the Home Office’s scheme is by far the most pernicious ID scheme in the continent, if not the world. But if developing European standards starts to present a threat to privacy and civil liberties, then we are now in a much better position to know about it and lobby against it”.

See also The Register: “With MS funding, No2ID gains entry to EU eID group”

 

Identities beyond borders: the European eID Interoperability Platform

Yet another EU funded initiative, this time under FP7’s Competitiveness and Innovation Programme. The STORK Project on “Secure idenTity acrOss boRders” will cost approximately 20 million Euros over three years, of which 50% will be funded by the European Commission.

According to the project website, the STORK project will make it easier for citizens and businesses to access online public services across borders by developing and testing common specifications for mutual recognition of national electronic identity (eID) between participating countries. It will do so by:

• Developing common rules and specifications to assist mutual recognition of eIDs across national borders;
• Testing, in real life environments, secure and easy-to-use eID solutions for citizens and businesses;
• Interacting with other EU initiatives to maximise the usefulness of eID services.

STORK will focus on pragmatic eID interoperability solutions, implementing several pilot cross-border eID services chosen for their high impact on everyday life.

Maybe i’m missing something but why would I want to “access online public services across borders” and how will an “e-ID” help me?