Post by Gabriela Szlak.
Last week two important announcements have been made in the Latin American Region:
First,San Luis Province,in Argentine,announced that next January,San Luis citizens would receive their Digital Identity Card. This card would serve as a citizen’s Driver’s License,and it may also contain health and judicial info of its owner,bringing with it the possibility of using it for different procedures regarding the San Luis Government.
This type of card is the first of its kind in Argentina,and would integrate biometric as well as electronic signature technologies,as have already been done in other countries.
It´s name is Spanish would be:Cédula de Identidad Provincial Electrónica (CIPE)
The CIPE would validate the physical and digital identity of each of the approximately 400.000 inhabitants of the San Luis Province. It would also allow for the possibility of using electronic signatures in the Province for any e-Document and for any public or private activity done online,such as administrative or business online activity.
Second,during the same week it was announced that Chile would also implement the Digital Identity Card,but in their case,Chile would do it at a national level. The Chilean project would also integrate biometric and electronic signature technologies. This DIC would be the most important of the region at present,and would include among other things a Digital Identity Card and a Digital Passport,as well as services for digital signatures.
These announcements,as well as similar ones that have been made for the European Region,are very interesting in terms of ODR systems.
The implementation of Digital Identity Cards at a global stage is a challenge that may become a tangible reality in the future.
Even though the process of implementation and international mutual recognition of Digital Identity Cards would be slow,it is very interesting to analyze the impact this change would bring not only to Domestic Economies and Domestic Legal systems,but also to the International Digital Economy –namely eCommerce and eBusiness transactions –and Public and Private International Legal systems.
Cross border validation and recognition of physical and digital identities would be cheap,simple,fast and easy. Just to mention one example,many of the procedures that are needed today to validate acts and documents at an international level would no longer be necessary and would certainly be updated.
For the ODR field,all of this would mean a huge change,not only at a cross border level but also at a regional and domestic level.
The possibility of being able to identify the parties at the ODR process would bring security and validity to the whole dispute resolution process,including the outcomes,and stands to benefit the possibilities of enforcement of agreements or awards,if necessary.
I look forward to January when the new CIPE will (hopefully) become a reality in the San Luis Province,Argentina. I also hope that the Chilean implementation of a digital identity card will start as soon as possible. I also look to the implementation of a Digital Identity Card at a National Level for Argentina and at a Regional Level for Latin America.
And while we are dreaming big,why not dream that we can implement a Global Digital Identity Card in the future,at least for eCommerce and eBusiness purposes.
Please let me know your thoughts regarding the impact at the ODR field that the use of Digital Identity Cards would bring. Gabriela Szlak:odr@einstituto.org.
source of the announcements:iprofesional.com <http://iprofesional.com> through ODRLatinoamerica (in Spanish)
