First Open Source „eID-Kernel“ according to BSI TR-03124 for Android
Thanks to the recently released version 1.3 of the Open eCard platform, there is for the first time an Open Source and freely usable "eID-Kernel" according to the technical guideline BSI TR-03124 (eID-Client) of the Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, BSI). This allows to perform a mobile proof of identity with the German eID card (Personalausweis), and can directly be integrated in any Android-based smartphone app. The innovative development was supported by the European Union in the “FutureTrust“ project and is already used productively in the “FiftyFifty Taxi“ project of the German rural districts of Lichtenfels and Kulmbach. The international standard ISO / IEC 24727, which has been implemented in Open eCard, makes it easy to enable other contactless eID and signature cards for direct mobile use.
“ChipGateway-Protocol” enables web-based creation of electronic signatures
The “ChipGateway Protocol”, which is for example used for proofs of identity with the Luxembourgish eID card, is now supported by the Open eCard App. This protocol allows creating advanced and qualified electronic signatures in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 910/2014 (eIDAS) in web applications. The protocol, which is currently standardized at OASIS DSS-X, enables the seamless transition from the classic smart card-based signature generation to modern remote signature procedures, as permitted by the eIDAS regulation. “The great potential of eID and trust services is increasingly used in mobile environments,” adds Andrea Servida, Head of the Unit “E-Government and Trust” at DG CONNECT of the European Commission. “We are pleased that ‘FutureTrust’ and ‘Open eCard’ joined forces in order to provide Open Source components, which ease the mobile use of eID and trust services.”
Installers for Windows, MacOS and Linux make deployment and usage easier
The newly released installers for Windows, MacOS and the Linux distributions Debian, Ubuntu, openSUSE and Fedora make it easier for end-users to deploy the Open eCard App on PC-platforms and use it with eID and signature cards from Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Georgia, Luxembourg, Portugal and Serbia.
go.eIDAS tutorial and hackathon at Open Identity Summit 2019 (27th - 29th of March 2019)
The delivery of the updated Open eCard platform also marks the start of the technical thread of the recently launched “go.eIDAS” initiative, which aims at creating additional open source components and integrates them into innovative solutions. To facilitate the start for decision-makers and app developers, the Open eCard experts will be offering a go.eIDAS-tutorial at the beginning of the Open Identity Summit 2019 (March 27th – 29th 2019 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany), where not only the eIDAS-Ecosystem, but also the various relevant open source components will be presented and explained in depth. The most original and innovative project idea based on eIDAS services will be honored as part of the go.eIDAS hackathon. “We are pleased that the Open eCard team has been able to make a small contribution to the further mobilisation of the eIDAS-Ecosystem”, adds Tobias Wich, Open eCard Maintainer. “We are proudly going ahead and invite all online service providers, app developers and other innovators to make practical use of the opportunities offered by eIDAS. If you want to fly high with smart and trustworthy solutions, you should certainly not miss the Open Identity Summit 2019. We are looking forward to meeting you there!”
About the Open eCard project
The Open eCard Team (https://openecard.org) consists of industrial and academic experts, who have joined forces to provide an Open Source and platform independent implementation of ISO/IEC 24727, such that arbitrary applications can easily access arbitrary smart cards for authentication and signature purposes. A first result of the project was the Open eCard App, which has been the first Open Source eID-Client certificated according to BSI TR-03124 and now also the first Open Source eID-Kernel for Android and the first free ChipGateway-Client.
About the FutureTrust project
Against the background of the Regulation (EU) No. 910/2014 on electronic identification (eID) and trusted services for electronic transactions in the internal market (eIDAS), the FutureTrust project (https://futuretrust.eu), which is funded within the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020) under Grant Agreement No. 700542, aims at supporting the practical implementation of the regulation in Europe and beyond. For this purpose the FutureTrust project addresses the need for globally interoperable solutions for the efficient and trusted delivery of electronic services, actively supports the standardisation process in relevant areas, and provides open source software and trusted services which facilitate the use of electronic identity and signature in practical applications.
About the go.eIDAS initiative
The go.eIDAS initiative (https://go.eID.AS) has been initiated by leading European associations, projects and expert organisations in the sector of eID and trust and aims at supporting the practical implementation of the eIDAS-Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market. go.eIDAS is an open initiative, which welcomes all interested organisations and individual persons which want to benefit from and push forward the adoption of eIDAS in Europe and beyond.
About the Open Identity Summit
The Open Identity Summit (https://openidentity.eu) has been the open forum for international experts since 2013, combining practical requirements and hands-on experience and with academic innovation in the areas of identity management, trust services, open source, end-to-end encryption and cloud computing. It promotes the standardisation in these areas as well and the free use of these key technologies. The next Open Identity Summit will take place from 27th to 29th of March 2019, in the Congress Center Garmisch-Partenkirchen, at the foot of the highest German summit (Zugspitze).
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Contact:
Dr. Detlef Hühnlein
Project Manager Open eCard
c/o ecsec GmbH
Sudetenstraße 16
96247 Michelau, Germany
E-Mail: info@openecard.org