Spain's new electronic ID card program gathers speed

The Government of Spain has distributed more than 1.2 million chip-based national ID cards across the country. It is expected that the government will issue more than 800,000 ID cards by the end of the year. The new project, called DNI-e, for Documento Nacional de Identificación electrónica, is opening new possibilities for new applications. Over the years, the DNI has evolved from its earliest role as a mandatory document for internal spot checks by police to being the standard identification for everything from getting a driver’s license or passport to collecting a pension and social security benefits. The new card does all that. In addition, with the new ID card, cardholders would be able to securely conduct business with the government online. The card is equipped with a contact interface and more than 32 kilobytes of memory. There are three levels of access within the chip. The "public zone" is accessible for reading without restrictions, the "private zone" can be read using the owner's PIN, and the "security zone" is accessible with a card reader. Several government departments or agencies are involved in the DNI-e program, including the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Tourism, and the national mint. The program will cost an estimated 313 million euros. The 2007 budget is 77 million euros. Spain’s program was launched in February 2006 with a 7,000-card pilot program that followed three years of development. It has slowly accelerated, and now more than 100,000 new cards are issued each month, said the government. Source: i4D

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