The international Porvoo Group met in Brussels, Belgium on 10 – 11 May 2012 to consider questions relating to electronic identity (eID) and data protection.

As daily life is increasingly moving online, citizens are becoming more and more concerned about the protection of their electronic privacy. Can legislation and technology guarantee it?

The conference's subjects included electronic identity (eID) and privacy, data protection, development work in the EU and national eID development projects in the participating countries. The host country, Belgium, is well known for itsprogressive development of citizen-oriented eServices.

The representative of the European Commission showcased the ongoing development on electronic identity, authentication and signatures and presented some questions on the protection of privacy. The representative of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) also addressed the conference.

In addition, the STORK project, underway in the EU, was also showcased at the conference. The project's objective is for businesses, citizens and government employees to be able to use their national eIDs in every EU Member State. The goal is the easy use of eServices across borders, utilising existing national systems.

Porvoo Group’s 17th conference, organised by the Porvoo Group and e-Forum, was attended by representatives of European countries, the European Commission, USA and Japan.

Background Information

The Porvoo Group is an international cooperation network coordinated by the Population Register Centre of Finland. The Group’s primary goal is to promote a trans-national, interoperable eID based on PKI technology (Public Key Infrastructure) and smart cards and chip ID cards as well as secure e-services in Europe. The majority of its members represent their respective national authorities, but representatives of the business community, the European Commission and the UN have also contributed to its work. Also the USA and Japan are closely involved.

e-Forum is a not-for-profit association that brings together interested parties active in the fields of eGovernment, electronic identity and data protection in Europe.

Further Information:

• Original news article – e-Forum website
• STORK project
• Porvoo Group
• e-Forum