DIGITAL IDENTITY: Citizens will be able to verify their identity by scanning a QR code on their phone rather than using a physical ID card
Citizens of Macau will soon be able to verify their identity at border crossings with a digital credential by scanning a QR code stored on their smartphone rather than using their physical ID card.
The Government of Macau is currently testing a system that will enable citizens to generate a QR code in the Macau One Account app that will serve as a digital identifier and verify the holder’s name, identification number, sex and date of birth as well as the validity and type of identification.
A government committee has announced plans to roll out the QR code-enabled digital ID “in the future” and says that “the QR code can be used for both automatic and manual channels, with the exception of juxtaposed control points such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge”, according to a Macau Daily Times report.
“[Committee president] Ella Lei disclosed that the digital identifier for the identification card has already been designed. The government is largely ready to roll out the service, although it is still undergoing testing.
“The committee was further informed that the test results to date reveal that border clearances using QR codes are slightly faster than traditional border clearance methods.
“Certain factors, such as constantly changing time and relocating identification number, will be introduced to the identifier for verification purposes.”
The announcement comes after the Government of Macau passed a law to enable the issuance of digital ID cards in April this year, according to an earlier Macau Daily Times report.
Macau to let citizens verify identity at border crossings with QR code digital ID on their smartphone was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.