A new digital identification app has launched in BC with its eventual goal of replacing the physical ID you carry around in your wallet.
The app, eID-Me, digitizes and securely stores your government-issued ID on your smartphone and was successfully launched in Ontario and Quebec earlier this year.
Developed by Ottawa-based software company Bluink, the app was born after the company was awarded a $1.2M contract by the Ontario government in 2017.
Unfortunately, the app is not a substitute for presenting legal ID, but can instead be used as a secure, local backup of your ID.
So what’s the point, other than a backup of your ID? As the company explains on its website, as adoption by organizations increases, “eID-Me will let users share information (with users’ initiation and consent) to better access services that require verified identity.”
Unfortunately the app does not support those users with stickers on their cards, for example if you moved and updated your address. Bluink says they are working on a solution to also accept these cards.
For users in BC with either a BC Services Card, BC Driver’s Licence, or combined BC Driver’s Licence and Services Card, the app is available on both iOS and Android operating systems.
