Two Roads to Digital Identity

Two announcements in October highlight how differently the US and Europe are approaching digital identity. Apple confirmed that US users will soon be able to store their passport as a digital ID in Apple Wallet, allowing them to verify their identity at selected TSA checkpoints ¹. A few taps on your phone and your identity lives alongside your boarding pass, credit cards, car hire and hotel reservation. Days earlier, the European Commission announced €15 million in new funding to accelerate development and certification of EUDI Wallets across member states ².

Both initiatives aim to make identity proofing easier and more secure. But the philosophies behind them are a long way apart.

Europe’s EUDI Wallet is built principally as a public infrastructure. It forms part of the eIDAS 2.0 Regulation, which requires every EU country to offer at least one certified digital wallet by 2026. Each wallet will allow citizens to store and present verifiable credentials such as driving licences, qualifications or health insurance details, with all data held locally and shared only under explicit consent. The model aims to enforce strict separation between government identity services and commercial data use.