The Malta e-ID

Acronym of the case:

e-ID

Web address of the case:

http://www.mygov.mt

Country of the case:

Malta

Posting Date:

8 June 2007

Last Edited Date:

04 November 2009

Author:

Derrick Pisani (Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA))

eID | authentication | electronic identity

Type of initiative

Strategic initiative

Case Abstract

Malta's eGovernment services portal relies on the e-ID (the single most trusted authentication mechanism) to provide a one-stop-shop for all eGovernment services. The portal allows the management of the userâ€™s e-ID profile which contains personal details as well as functions for assignment and delegation. Citizens may â€œdelegateâ€ their eServices to other citizens (who have an e-ID) or to registered organisations. Through www.mygov.mt, the e-ID may also be used by organisations (e.g. businesses and administrations) which may â€œassignâ€ the management of the eServices to an â€œOrganisation Managerâ€ who has an e-ID.

Description of the case

Domain

eGovernment

Topic

eIdentity and eSecurity | User-centric Services

Sector

Crime, Justice and Law

Date

January 2004 to January 2007

Date operational

October 2004

Target Users

Administrative | Business (self-employed) | Business (industry) | Business (SME) | Citizen

Target Users Description

e-ID is developed to target the entire adult population.

Scope

National

Status

Operation

Language(s)

English | Maltese

Policy Context and Legal Framework

e-ID needs very little introduction as to the desired horizontal impact on various policy areas:
â€¢ it falls under the umbrella of Identity Management (IdM), to which a number of initiatives, not only in eGovernment, but also in the scope of â€œjustice and home affairsâ€ relate;
â€¢ in its form as a PKI digital certificate, it is also related to electronic signatures;
â€¢ it is an enabler for several high impact services in eGovernment and eBusiness â€“ including but not limited to eHealth, and eProcurement; and
â€¢ it is the subject of strong debate on cross-border eServices which affect the lives of citizens and the possibilities open to businesses across the EU landscape.

In Malta, e-ID is set to address each of the above within the context of an Identity Management strategy. Within the framework being set up to implement this strategy, the e-ID registration is positioned as the starting point for electronic identity management. Once the citizen registers for an e-ID, the personal details are collected and securely stored for use (with the citizenâ€™s consent) to deliver all eGovernment services.

A high proportion of the citizens of Malta live outside the homeland and would therefore appreciate the value of e-ID when this becomes a tool they use to interact with Government. With the advent of the e-ID Card, the e-ID will be incorporated with the already mandatory national ID Card. The framework will thus capture details about all 14+ persons residing in Malta and (with their consent) be used in all cases where an identity credential is issued or renewed (e.g. visas, ePassport, residence card, etc.).

Project Size and Implementation

Type of initiative

IT infrastructures and products

Overall Implementation approach

Public administration

Technology choice

Not applicable/not available

Funding source

Public funding national

Project size

Implementation: €49-299,000

Implementation and Management Approach

The programme for the National Identity Management Systems is owned by the Ministry for Infrastructure, Communications and Technology ("MITC").

The eID is managed by the Malta Information Technology Agency through its Project Manager for the National Identity Systems. The software is supplied by a local firm Exigy Ltd. The governance of the eID is done through a Project Board which holds representatives of all the stakeholders.

The Government has set up a limited liability company to be the Certification Authority for the issuance of Non-Qualified Certificates on its behalf. The Registration Authority is done by the Government through the Identity Management Office.

Technology solution

The e-ID uses web services technologies across the whole platform providing accessibility and interoperability across multiple media and platforms. This allows use in web-based, mobile as well as phone-based authentication systems. This has enabled the Government to encourage online Public Service delivery without removing offline or face-to-face options.

The access to mobile government (m-gov) facilitates the use of access to Public Services through the use of mobile devices and in collaboration with mobile telephony service providers. The current m-gov services are provided through an SMS Gateway that allows the registration for services and then provides the facility for both push and pull services.

Phone-based authentication is being used to widen the range of accessibility to eGovernment to non-computer-literate users who need to access over a freephone number, information about their social security benefits.

Offline public service delivery is traditionally delivered over front-desk offices in point departments. These are being replaced by eGovernment agents offering the entire portfolio of related services from one desk. These are the â€˜offlineâ€™ counterparts to mygov.mt and use the â€œdelegationâ€ capabilities of an agent-enabled e-ID and mygov.mt to use eGovernment services on behalf of the agentâ€™s client.

Impact, innovation and results

Impact

The Malta e-ID solution addresses the needs of individuals and their multiple roles in real life. A broad cross-section of the population could, apart from having to interact with Government as a citizen, need to represent another citizen or organisation (e.g. a company director for a business, an employee for his company, a committee member for an NGO, a lawyer for her client, etc.). The solution is thus primarily citizen-centric and considers the various representative roles of a citizen in relation to public service administrations. One e-ID is created for the person, but the solution enables them to access services linked to their various roles. In addition, through the mygov.mt portal the e-ID solution enables the individual to use a single unified access point for all the eGovernment services provided by the various Government departments irrespective of the technology being implemented.

The key success factor of the Malta e-ID solution has been the creation of a flexible central framework which gives room for the individual needs and processes of the different types of users and service providers to interact. The central technology framework provides core components and tools for the service providers to develop their own eGovernment services which leverage on the core framework, reducing their complexity, cost and time to market. The solution provides a flexible workflow concept which enables the various service providers to remain in control of their eGovernment services even though they operate within the core framework.

Track record of sharing

Malta participated in the eGovernment Good Practice Framework through the Sixth Good Practice Framework/5th IDM workshop on Good Practices in Identity Management in Leuven in February 2007.

There has been extensive information sharing regarding the approach and implementation of our solution during Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2005, where the digital divide was addressed.

One of the primary objectives of our solution is to be able to redeploy the technology in other public administrations. The key principals of our solution are based on â€˜modularityâ€™, â€˜securityâ€™, â€˜flexibilityâ€™ and â€˜interoperabilityâ€™. The solution design is based on the latest standards and can therefore be redeployed to local, regional and national governments. Government and its partners (see reply to question 2.10) are jointly committed to provide assistance with the solution and relevant expertise to other administrations.

In April 2007, a 2-day conference (on e-ID was organised by BCS Malta, and supported by the Ministry responsible for IT, as the owner of the e-ID solution. (http://www.bcs.org.mt/article.asp?secid=6&artid=177). The chief objective of the conference was targeted at communicating the advantages of e-ID to the Maltese business community, with whom Government intends to share this technology.

Lessons learnt

Lesson 1- Delivering Better and Faster Government
eGovernment systems remain bound by laws and regulations which must be appreciated at analysis stage. The dynamics of an eGovernment service also affect human resources. Various levels of staff must be engaged in the analysis to capture the details of the business process. Any redeployment of staff should have the final goal of freeing employees from mundane tasks to concentrate on delivering better and faster Government.

Lesson 2 - Government as a Partner in creating innovative eGovernment Solutions
The alliance with Microsoft provided access to knowledge which the latter gained from partnerships with other organisations and countries. Knowledge transfer is invaluable to Malta. That is why it exploits partnerships with the industry to become a regional ICT hub. The partnership with Microsoft-certified-partner Exigy Ltd ensured that the alliance with Microsoft could materialise into the eGovernment framework which suits Malta but is modular enough to be reused by others.

Lesson 3 - Making eGovernment a Unique Cross-functional Service Provider
Government realises that eGovernment cannot succeed if it is simply â€œpushedâ€ to the business and citizen. Government launched one eGovernment services portal accessible only through a unique e-ID. The first services that were launched had a clear demand creating an appreciation of the need for an e-ID. With an e-ID and access to a single portal a quick take-up of less attractive services became more likely.