As the CEO and founder of FastID we asked Albert van Veen why it is so important to put the consumer in control of its own data? What his opinion is on the European digital identity developments, and what will be his main message at the IDnext event.
Why did you start with FastID?
“The founders of FastID worked at the airport for years and were increasingly annoyed by all the queues, tickets and identity checks. As the Chief Digital Officer, I dreamt of being able to live and travel ‘hands-free’, without paper tickets, plastic cards or identity cards, and with faster, easier and safer access to events, services and locations. With the Digital Airport program, I also made the start to make this technology available for airports and to actually implement it.
”After my roles as CDO at banks and Schiphol, I have now started my own company to bring this technology to the rest of the world. In today’s society, FastID supports two new trends: the social debate about the possession of personal data, and the increasing possibilities of identification via biometrics. By combining these trends, FastID was created. With FastID we want to return ownership to consumers of their personal data and also offer convenience, with quick and secure access to events, services and locations with biometrics. “
Why is it so important to put the consumer in control of its own data?
“To regain the ownership of your personal data! How many times has someone made a copy of his or her passport or driving licence? And where are those copies now? And at how many servers of different organizations did you leave your data. When you start to think about it, the ease with which people share their personal data is almost unbelievable. FastID puts a stop to this endless sharing of data and restores your control over your own identity and personal data.”
What is your opinion on the European digital identity developments?
“There is fantastic progress and the regulator is helping this time. The eIDAS regulation and the European Self Sovereign Identity Framework (ESSIF) are a great step forward and push the development of a new European identity to a new level. Especially the ESSIF is a great concept and makes Europe leading in the world. The self-sovereign-identity has so many benefits and is a mind shift for all CIO and CDOs. It makes implementations cheaper and superfast and is a breakthrough in the discussion who owns the data of the client. The client him- or herself…”
What will be your main message in your keynote session at the IDnext event?
“The Digital IDentity is coming fast and companies need to get ready to use it.”
“Clients are not willing to share their data and use plastic cards, keys, paper documents or QR codes to access your services any longer. With a digital ID you can identify yourself using your phone, your voice or simply your face. It’s fast, easy and secure and the new European legislation (eIDAS, ESSIF) accelerates a fast introduction of a digital ID. FastID is a fast-growing digital IDentity for consumers that enables them to get access to events, services, and locations with their digital ID.”
