Executive Director of Population Register at the Emirates Identity Authority Mohamed Al Mazrouei has underlined the importance for all ID card holders to keep the card’s personal identification number (PIN), which consists of 4 digits selected by the applicant when completing the registration process (fingerprinting and photographing) at an Emirates Identity Authority service point.
The Emirates Identity Authority is working with the concerned organizations in the UAE to enact the legislation that would provide legal frameworks for the ID card’s uses and digital applications for practicing electronic work and digital signature in the UAE in future, Al Mazrouei said.
The Emirates Identity Authority is currently seeking to complete the project of establishing and operating the electronic certification center or public-key infrastructure, enabling all organizations, companies, banks and government entities in the UAE to benefit in future from the digital card services related to the proof of identity and digital certification on the Internet, he added.
Al Mazrouei clarified that any individual who had not obtained a PIN for his/her ID card in the early stages of the project can obtain the PIN currently when renewing or replacing the ID card. If the ID card is still valid, the card holder can visit any Emirates Identity Authority service point to obtain the relevant PIN through the population register system, he said, noting that the individuals who had not obtained their PINs earlier can check with any registration center for this purpose.
The Emirates Identity Authority is seeking to provide the service of obtaining the PIN through the electronic kiosks (self-service stations) that it is considering to provide in some public places to enable card holders to obtain their PINs themselves, he added.
Al Mazrouei emphasized that the PIN ensures the protection and secrecy of the ID card and is linked to the electronic identity, adding that without the PIN, one can neither sign online transactions or emails nor use one’s card in some online transactions in which the service provider wants the ID card to be presented to verify the identity of the electronic customer.
As far as children under 18 years are concerned, Al Mazrouei clarified that obtaining a PIN is limited to the individuals above 18 years of age due to the fact that the law allows commercial, civil and electronic transactions (such as selling, legal and commercial dealings, import and export contracts, airway ticket booking, hotel reservations and banking transactions such as opening an account) to be processed only by those above the legal age. The Emirates Identity Authority is not currently issuing any PIN to this section of people to ensure that the card is not used by them for making such transactions, which incur legal measures.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Askar, ID Card and Population Register Advisor, Emirates Identity Authority, explained the areas in which the PIN is used in government or electronic transactions. The smart card issued by the Emirates Identity Authority contains the personal data, fingerprint and photo in addition to two digital certificates in the ID card’s smart chip, which contains the person’s name, ID card number and some other significant information such as the serial number and the expiry date and source of the certificate, he said. The ID card also contains two keys (public and private) where the private key represents the customer’s own electronic signature while the public key is linked with the validity of these certificates, which is the same as that of the card itself, he added, noting that the applications of these two certificates need the PIN in order to be activated.
Askar clarified that the digital certificate related to electronic or digital signature is used for electronic signature on all documents, application forms, contracts etc. He underlined the importance of this certificate for enhancing customers’ security and privacy on the Internet, particularly in the fields of electronic commerce, determining the identity of the sender and recipient electronically, ensuring the credibility of the people and information, assisting organizations in protecting themselves from forfeiting and forgery of signatures and allowing remote conclusion of transactions without the presence of the contracting parties, thereby contributing to developing and ensuring electronic commerce and transactions.
The other digital certificate encrypts the channel of communication and identifies the user’s identity when using the card for accessing the websites that provide online services, Askar said, adding that the certificate is used for secure communication and ensuring that the data exchanged between the sender and recipient is encrypted so that nobody can eavesdrop, forfeit, forge data or even impersonate the ID card holder.
It is noteworthy that the Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Center (ADSIC) is the first government entity linked with the Electronic Certification Centre. It has a number of government services that one can benefit from through using the ID card. The Emirates Identity Authority, however, is working on linking the other local and federal entities responsible for eGovernment initiatives and projects.
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