While the US is planning to increase its military presence in Eastern Europe to “protect its allies against Russia”, internal documents show what American “protection” in practical terms means.
The Pentagon has conducted biological experiments with a potentially lethal outcome on 4,400 soldiers in Ukraine and 1,000 soldiers in Georgia. According to leaked documents, all volunteer deaths should be reported within 24 h (in Ukraine) and 48 h (in Georgia).
Both countries are considered the most loyal US partners in the region with a number of Pentagon programs being implemented in their territory. One of them is the $2.5 billion Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Biological engagement program which includes research on bio agents, deadly viruses and antibiotic-resistant bacteria being studied on the local population.
Project GG-21: “All volunteer deaths will be promptly reported”
The Pentagon has launched a 5-year long project with a possible extension of up to 3 years code-named GG-21: “Arthropod-borne and zoonotic infections among military personnel in Georgia”. According to the project’s description, blood samples will be obtained from 1,000 military recruits at the time of their military registration physical exam at the Georgian military hospital located in Gori.
The samples will be tested for antibodies against fourteen pathogens:
Bacillus anthracis
Brucella
CCHF virus
Coxiella burnetii
Francisella tularensis
Hantavirus
Rickettsia species
TBE virus
Bartonella species
Borrelia species
Ehlrichia species
Leptospira species
Salmonella typhi
WNV
The amount of blood draw will be 10 ml. Samples will be stored indefinitely at the NCDC (Lugar Center) or USAMRU-G and aliquots might be sent to WRAIR headquarters in US for future research studies. Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the U.S. Department of Defense. The results of the blood testing will not be provided to the study participants.
Such a procedure cannot cause death. However, according to the project report, “all volunteer deaths will be promptly reported (usually within 48 h of the PI being notified)” to the Georgian Military Hospital and WRAIR.
According to the GG-21 project report, “all volunteer deaths will be promptly reported” to the Georgian military hospital and WRAIR, USA.
The soldiers’ blood samples will be stored and further tested at the Lugar Center, a $180 million Pentagon-funded facility in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.
The Georgian project GG-21 has been funded by DTRA and implemented by American military scientists from a special US Army unit code-named USAMRU-G who operate in the Lugar Center. They have been given diplomatic immunity in Georgia to research bacteria, viruses and toxins without being diplomats. This unit is subordinate to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR).
The Lugar Center is the $180 million Pentagon-funded biolaboratory in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.A diplomatic car with a registration plate of the US Embassy to Tbilisi in the car park of the Lugar Center. US scientists working at the Pentagon laboratory in Georgia drive diplomatic vehicles as they have been given diplomatic immunity. Photos: Dilyana Gaytandzhieva
Documents obtained from the US Federal contracts registry show that USAMRU-G is expanding its activities to other US allies in the region and is “establishing expeditionary capabilities” in Georgia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Latvia and any future locations. The next USAMRU-G project involving biological tests on soldiers is due to start in March of this year at the Bulgarian Military Hospital in Sofia.
Project UP-8: All deaths of study participants should be reported within 24 h
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has funded a similar project involving soldiers in Ukraine code-named UP-8: The spread of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus and hantaviruses in Ukraine and the potential need for differential diagnosis in patients with suspected leptospirosis. The project started in 2017 and was extended few times until 2020, internal documents show.
According to the project’s description, blood samples will be collected from 4,400 healthy soldiers in Lviv, Kharkov, Odesa and Kyiv. 4,000 of these samples will be tested for antibodies against hantaviruses, and 400 of them – for the presence of antibodies against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus. The results of the blood testing will not be provided to the study participants.
There is no information as to what other procedures will be performed except that “serious incidents, including deaths should be reported within 24 hours. All deaths of study subjects that are suspected or known to be related to the research procedures should be brought to the attention of the bioethics committees in the USA and Ukraine.”
Blood samples from 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers will be tested for hantaviruses. Another 400 blood samples will be tested for CCHF under the DTRA-sponsored Ukrainian Project UP-8.Project UP-8: “Serious incidents, including deaths should be reported within 24 hours. All deaths of study subjects that are suspected or known to be related to the research procedures should be brought to the attention of the bioethics committees in the USA and Ukraine.” Source: ukr-leaks.org
DTRA has allocated $80 million for biological research in Ukraine as of 30 July 2020, according to information obtained from the US Federal contracts registry. Tasked with the program is the US company Black &Veatch Special Projects Corp.
Another DTRA contractor operating in Ukraine is CH2M Hill. The American company has been awarded a $22.8 million contract (2020-2023) for the reconstruction and equipment of two biolaboratories: the State Scientific Research Institute of Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary-Sanitary Expertise (Kyiv ILD) and the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection Regional Diagnostic Laboratory (Odesa RDL).
US personnel are indemnified for deaths and injuries to the local population
The DTRA activities in Georgia and Ukraine fall under the protection of special bilateral agreements. According to these agreements, Georgia and Ukraine shall hold harmless, bring no legal proceedings and indemnify the United States and its personnel, contractors and contractors’ personnel, for damage to property, or death or injury to any persons in Georgia and Ukraine, arising out of activities under this Agreement. If DTRA-sponsored scientists cause deaths or injuries to the local population they cannot be held to account.
Furthermore, according to the US-Ukraine Agreement, claims by third parties for deaths and injuries in Ukraine, arising out of the acts or omissions of any employees of the United States related to work under this Agreement, shall be the responsibility of Ukraine.
What started out at the beginning of the week as the ‘stuff of conspiracy theories’ was eventually confirmed by Police.
Australian Capital Territory Policing admitted that they did use a Long Range Acoustic Device (also known as a LRAD) during the Canberra Convoy Freedom rallies outside Parliament House.
A number of wild theories and have emerged online about how the LRAD device was used in Canberra and claims of injury, but the actual effects are well documented.
Reports are still coming in on various injuries at the protest – most relating to what looks like sunburn and heat stroke. There are also clear allergic reactions from what some speculate might be contact with chemicals.
The LRAD device has two modes. One setting turns it into a crowd control tool – also referred to as a ‘sound canon’, ‘acoustic hailing device’, or a ‘sonic weapon’ – and the other mode, which is what was used in Canberra, makes the LRAD a loudspeaker or amplification device to relay messages to the crowd.
A spokesperson for police released a statement to The Epoch Timesconfirming, “ACT Policing has deployed several types of loudspeakers and amplification devices to quickly and effectively convey voice messages to large, and often loud, crowds of people during the recent protest activity in Canberra.”
However, this confirmation came only after One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts and Liberal Senator Alex Antic brought up the issue in Senate estimates on February 14.
Malcolm Roberts’ office was inundated with complaints from protesters all week wanting to know what had happened during the rally – prompting him to pass on these public concerns.
“That would be something that is with our police methodology which we would have to look at some type of public interest immunity claim, Senator,” said the Australia Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw, when questioned by Senator Roberts.
“Surely it’s in the public interest to know whether or not they [LRADs] were there without delving too much into it?”
“I’d have to […] If I could take that on notice, I’d have to get advice.”
Senator Antic, who attended Senate estimates virtually, held up a photo of the LRAD device beside members of the police force. Despite the visual evidence in front of Kershaw, he still chose to defer the answer.
“With the benefit of having that photograph which tends to confirm it [the claims that there was an LRAD present], we still can’t confirm that that device was there on the day?” asked Senator Antic, still holding the photograph.
Kershaw insisted that the question had already been taken on notice.
The LRAD was used in Canberra only as a means of communicating with the crowd.
Its use has, however, alarmed many public observers as the LRAD is technically a sonic crowd control weapon that, if used in its other setting, projects extremely loud sounds over long distances to cripple a crowd. The ‘alert setting’ on the device is particularly dangerous and has been known to cause permanent hearing damage, dizziness, disorientation, and brain damage.
Essentially the device ‘chirps’ at the crowd causing pain and potentially permanent hearing damage. Its use on crowds remains highly controversial, with the NYPD ending up in federal court where it was recommended that their use against protesters on the alert setting be suspended.
LRADs have been employed in military settings, such as by the United States in 2004, as a form of non-lethal combat. An LRAD was used against crowds at the 2009 G20 summit in its weaponised mode, causing serious and permanent injuries. It was also reported to have been used against the Occupy Oakland crowd in 2011.
Like a water canon pushes the crowd back with the force of a liquid, sound canons use waves of noise to bombard people. These can be targeted onto specific parts of the crowd.
In the US, it is frequently used on crowds in its loudspeaker mode, as was done in Canberra. Many other countries also employ LRADs for crowd communication purposes.
The Australian Federal Police, Queensland Police, South Australian Police, Western Australian Police, and Australia Victorian Police have all confirmed that they have purchased one of these devices. The Northern Territory and New South Wales police forces did not comment.
LRADs are used in a wide range of settings and by various government departments, usually on its loudspeaker mode. It is also used at runways, solar and wind farms and agricultural operations to frighten animals away from equipment.
The ABC ran a report concerned about the purchase of these devices back in 2016.
‘They can break up protests with loud, piercing sound, but Long Range Acoustic Devices can also cause permanent hearing damage. Australian law enforcement agencies are now investing in the technology, but sound and law experts say their potential use is extremely concerning.’
At the time, Melbourne University expert James Parker told the ABC, “The secrecy of the state around the tools, the weapons that it has and is capable of using on its population is something to be really, really concerned about. It expands the nature of police/state/military authority in a certain kind of way. It makes sound itself part of the arsenal that police and military and state institutions use.”
While there is no evidence that LRADs were used in their alert capacity in Canberra, there is a genuine question about whether or not police would have done so if the crowd was not as well behaved as they were.
The Canberra Convoy – created in sympathy with the Canadian Freedom Convoy in Ottawa – turned into one of the largest protests in Canberra’s history, culminating in a huge gathering in front of Parliament House.
During the day’s events, livestreamers and members of the independent press reported that they had a lot of trouble with their feeds. Attendees also reported poor or no reception for large parts of the day.
This is considered highly unusual, as the area around Parliament House has additional infrastructure particularly to deal with increased loads caused by protests and other political operations – given that it is the heart of Australia’s political landscape.
There are as-yet unconfirmed reports that two Telstra towers went down during the day, explaining why the other towers ended up overloaded resulting in what became a black spot for phones.
At least the Police Commissioner agreed with Senator Antic that – with only three arrests for a very large crowd – the protesters in Canberra were well behaved. ‘Mostly peaceful’ Kershaw agreed, but added that he did not like their attitudes. “Pretty well behaved. A lot of poor attitudes though, but there’s no offence for that. So police did cop a fair bit of abuse, but again, it didn’t cross into the criminal threshold.”
Compared to Black Lives Matter protesters in previous years calling ‘all cops bastards’, displaying artwork featuring burning police cars with the word ‘pigs’ written across them, and demanding the complete dismantling of the police force – the Canberra Convoy was very well behaved during the weeks it spent gathering size in Canberra.
Still, it would be of significant public interest to have a definitive answer on whether or not police had been authorised to use the LRAD in its other capacity.
3 cases have already been identified in the UK. Viral hemorrhagic (hem-uh-RAJ-ik) fevers are infectious diseases that can cause severe, life-threatening illness. They can damage the walls of tiny blood vessels, making them leak, and can hamper the blood’s ability to clot. The resulting internal bleeding is usually not life-threatening, but the diseases can be.
Ebola vs. Hemorrhagic Fever: What’s the Difference?
Collectively known as viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs), these illnesses typically cause fever as well as extreme dysfunction in the body’s network of blood vessels, which can result in profuse bleeding.
The hemorrhaging associated with VHFs can arise from a number of different factors depending on which virus a person is infected with, said Alan Schmaljohn, a virologist and professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
In the case of people with Ebola, hemorrhaging occurs when the virus infects the liver, affecting the body’s ability to make blood-clotting proteins and causing blood vessels to leak. But other viruses may cause hemorrhaging by depleting the body’s supply of platelets, which stop bleeding, Schmaljohn told Live Science. [5 Things You Should Know About Ebola]
Dr. Li-Meng Yan till now was ostracized and there were attempts to debunk her claims for over two years. Invariably, they turned out to be accurate. Now she comes out with another claim which is quite scary.
“The powers-that-be have attempted to debunk her claims for over two years. Invariably, they turn out to be accurate. This latest bombshell is the most concerning yet.” – JD Rucker
Below is a 24-minute video of Dr Li-meng Yan explaining everything. And there have already been 3 cases in the UK which again is blamed on West Africa, but for the last two years we have known this is coming from the CCP.
After doing over 350 interviews in my career, I rarely get shaken by a guest. That rare event occurred today when I interviewed Dr. Li-Meng Yan. She told me things from her various sources, many of which are in China with direct knowledge, that blew my mind. Is the CCP ( Chinese Communist Party ) developing another bioweapon? The answer to that is almost certainly yes, but Dr. Yan went a step further. She explained that they are already unleashing one onto the world through the Olympic games in Beijing today.
Before I get into the details, it’s important to understand that she and her sources are highly credible. There have been concerted efforts to discredit her, but her claims as far back as early 2020 have invariably been proven accurate. The powers-that-be attempted to debunk her claims that Covid-19 was developed in a lab. They tried to disprove what she’s said all along, that Peter Daszak and Anthony Fauci had intimate knowledge of the gain-of-function research that was going on in Wuhan. They even tried to prove she was wrong about the inefficacy of the vaccines. All of her claims have been verified and she has been vindicated multiple times.
Her Bio
She is a PhD virologist, medical doctor, immunologist and independent coronavirus expert. She was educated at two top medical schools in China, Southern Medical University and Central South University. She was also Post-doctoral Fellow in the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Because of her extensive professional network and scientific evidence, Dr. Yan has the distinction of being the only Chinese insider in the west with firsthand knowledge about the true nature of the virus as well as the Communist Chinese Party’s deceptive methods used to disguise their international bioweapons research.
Her revelations since January 19, 2020 have forced the CCP to change its strategy on the origin of SARS2 and saved many lives as a result.
Since escaping from Hong Kong on April 28, 2020, she has been interviewed four times by the FBI, including an FBI virologist, and each time she has been deemed credible. Dr. Yan had spent five years researching influenza vaccines when, in January, 2020, she was asked to investigate the ‘Wuhan Pneumonia’ that was sweeping that city. With that she became one of the first scientists outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology to analyze SARS-CoV-2. From her WHO H5 Reference Lab at HKU, she determined conclusively that the virus was engineered in the lab to be an unrestricted bioweapon. She also determined through her investigation that the spread of the virus in Wuhan was not the result of a “lab leak.”
Recognizing the great danger posed by the virus and the CCP plot to cover up its nefarious activities, Dr. Yan fled to the United States to reveal the truth to the world. Since coming to America, Dr. Yan has been the primary author of three research reports detailing the lab origins of SARS-CoV-2. Her other accomplishments include a patent-pending universal influenza vaccine as well as highly recommended articles on SARS-CoV-2 in Nature and The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Dr. Yan has attracted worldwide media attention, being interviewed by major news outlets in India, Spain, Japan, Italy and across Asia. Examples include: The Washington Post, FOX NEWS, NEWSMAX, The John Bachelor Show, The Daily Mail, Tucker Carlson Today, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Newsweek, New York Post and ITV in the UK.
Her Bombshell
The first couple of segments of our interview detailed the ways the Chinese Communist Party and other bad actors have used Covid-19 as a bioweapon. These are claims that she has detailed before, but she went into aspects of the story that were extremely compelling, including the fact that the CCP has used everyone, including her husband, to try to bring her out of hiding and take her back to China.
But it was near the middle of the interview that she blew my mind. According to Dr. Yan, CCP studied different hemorrhagic fever viruses including Lassa, Marburg, hantavirus, which all share the same drug target CD38 in the disease. Her sources show that the CCP is fully prepared to release such bioweapon viruses during the Winter Olympic. She cannot confirm what virus it is without having the viral genome.
This new disease may be a form of viral Hemorrhagic Fever that has a much higher fatality rate than Covid-19. According to Dr. Yan, cases of the disease may have been seen throughout China and just this week it popped up in the United Kingdom.
Health authorities said they have diagnosed two cases of a viral hemorrhagic fever in Britain, and possibly a third — marking the first time the illness has been seen in the country in over a decade.
Officials said the cases of Lassa fever involve members of the same family and are linked to recent travel to western Africa, where the illness is endemic. Two of the cases are conclusive and the third hasn’t been confirmed yet. Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness and infection usually occurs through food or household items contaminated with urine or feces from rats who are carrying the virus.
Symptoms of Lassa fever include fever and fatigue — and in more severe cases, bleeding in the mouth, trouble breathing and low blood pressure. Most people who contract Lassa fever don’t develop any symptoms and it’s fatal in only about 1% of cases. The new cases are the first in Britain since 2009.
The problem with this report is that the disease may not be standard Lassa fever, but possibly something new that was created through gain-of-function research. Dr. Yan has not confirmed this, but based on sources and evidence, Lassa is one of the bioweapons they prepared to launch attacks during or after Winter Olympics.
She noted that CCP military scientists worked with Liberia to study Ebola in 2014. They also sent six groups of scientists to Sierra Leone to study Lassa viruses, most recently in 2020. The west Africa studies by the CCP can help people understand their military-civil fusion and bioweapon program.
If she is correct, and all of her predictions have been proven accurate so far, this could mark the beginning of very troubling times in the world. Covid-19, while dangerous to the elderly with the earlier variants, seems to be rapidly fading. Governments around the world are lifting restrictions (though some, such as Canada, France, Australia, and the United States, continue to head in the other direction). It seems like the perfect time for the CCP, with the Olympics in Beijing, to spread a new bioweapon.
According to Dr. Yan, there is already a cure and the CCP is in the process of procuring as much of it as possible. It is a Johnson & Johnson drug called Darzalex (daratumumab). According to Cancer.org, the drug is currently used to treat multiple myeloma, but Dr. Yan said the CCP discovered it is effective against their new bioweapon as well.
Stay frosty, folks. The CCP has their sights set on world domination. Unleashing a dangerous disease and cornering the market on the cure may be their fast path to achieving their goals.
A third of those are likely to have no idea they are affected because they do not show clear symptoms.
So there’s the cover-up for vaccine deaths and vaccine injuries put into place.
Now 2 years ago people like me were called conspiracy theorists, but now everything has finally come to fruition ( except for the digital currency and social credit system )
What was written and spoken year’s ago by many very rich men is now happening. One person in particular “Klaus Schwab” has a book called “ The Great Reset.” in his book is a detailed description from start to finish of how things were, how they are now and how they will be.
People think that their government could not be capable of genocide, but all governments are capable and are doing now. Biowarfare on their own people.
So how it works; you have your gene therapy injections, and if you do not die of myocarditis, heart attack, brain haemorrhage or blood clots within 28 days, you can almost guarantee you have that “ Aortic valve stenosis “ and if you do die within 28 days from the vaccine it will be blamed on the aortic valve stenosis. I will bet everyone has known someone who has died from a blood disorder between 3 days and 31 days of a vaccine. The one’s who have not should ask for a D-Dimer test. This will let the Haematologist know that your blood is clotting. Over 5 years many will have died from the vaccine, but just as they put someone who died in a fire down as a covid related death because they tested positive within 28 days, you will be put down as aortic valve stenosis when it should be a vaccine ADR.
Aortic valve stenosis, or AS, is a heart condition that often shows no symptoms until it’s already too late.
The condition is when the heart’s aortic valve narrows, reducing or blocking blood flow from the heart into the main artery to the body (aorta).
This can cause chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, or a rapid, fluttering heartbeat in the more severe and life-threatening cases.
Some people are more prone to getting it, including those of older age, with diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart conditions from birth
Given the ageing of the UK population, it is thought that there may be a large pool of as yet undiagnosed people.
Researchers in the UK and Australia set out to estimate how many people could be living with the condition now, and of those, how many are at risk of death.
They did this using population data and previous estimates of aortic valve stenosis prevalence.
According to their calculations, the overall prevalence of severe aortic stenosis among the over 55s in the UK in 2019 could be almost 1.5 per cent – equal to around 300,000 at any one time
Just under 200,000 (68 per cent) were symptomatic – meaning they had severe disease that would be eligible for surgery.
The remaining 90,000 (32 per cent) had a “silent” case of the condition and will probably not be diagnosed unless they are being screened for another problem.
Without timely treatment, up to 172,859 (59 per cent of the overall total) will die over the next five years to 2024, it’s estimated.
That’s equal to 35,000 people every year, according to the findings published in the journal Open Heart
Nearly 10,000 of these deaths will be among 55–64 year olds.
The NHS says that someone with mild syptoms of aortic valve stenosis is monitored every year or two.
If symptoms become severe, it’s likely they will need surgery to stop the condition worsening to heart failure or sudden cardiac death.
Research has found that people with severe aortic stenosis who are not treated with surgery have a 25 per cent chance of dying in the first year after the symptoms start. The risk is 50 per cent in the second year.
The researchers, led by Geoffrey Strange, a cardiologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, said: “In conclusion, this study suggests that severe [aortic stenosis] is a common condition affecting many individuals within the UK population aged 55 [and older].
“Without appropriate detection and intervention, their survival prospects are likely to be poor.”
The researchers are concerned the NHS will not be able to cope with the wave of older people with aortic disease over the next few years.
Digital identity is well and truly established as one of the most significant technology trends on the planet.
As a result, a revolution in how individuals interact with public institutions and even private organisations is in full swing.
In this report, we’ll highlight the five most transformative digital identity trends set to shape the landscape in 2022 and beyond.
We’ll illustrate these trends with several examples: from Europe to the USA, Australia and New Zealand.
We’ll also see the foundational role of digital identity in the digital economy.
First, let’s start with a definition and look back at some of the landmarks of the past years.
What is a digital identity?
A digital identity is a set of validated digital attributes and credentials for the digital world, similar to a person’s identity for the real world.
Usually issued or regulated by a national ID scheme, a digital identity uniquely identifies a person online or offline.
It can include attributes such as a unique identity number, social security number, vaccination code, name, place, and date of birth, citizenship, biometrics, and more, as defined by national law.
With specific credentials such as an eID card (Germany, Italy, Spain, or Portugal), a derived digital driver’s license on a mobile phone (in several US states), a unique biometric-related ID number like in India, a mobile ID (Finland, Belgium or Estonia) or a Digital ID Wallet (EU initiative, Australia, etc..), it can be used to authenticate its owner.
These credentials may also include a digital identity certificate to sign electronically (give consent), obtain a seal (protect integrity), and a stamp (set time).
This dossier specifically targets sovereign digital identity frameworks piloted or supervised by a national agency.
Trusted Digital Identity for Everyone Everything Everyday
Let’s review the big ideas that gained traction in the past few years before looking at the future.
This overview will provide some reliable indicators as to where we are heading.
National ID schemes increased in number, visibility, and reach
At the ID2020 summit in May 2016 in New York, the UN initiated discussions around digital identity, blockchain, cryptographic technologies, and its benefits for the underprivileged. Four hundred experts shared best practices and ideas on how to provide universal identity to all.
Numerous new National eID programmes (including card and mobile-based schemes unrelated to ID2020) were launched or initiated. Examples include new projects in Algeria, Belgium (mobile ID), Cameroon, Ecuador, Jordan, the Philippines (PhilSys ID), Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Iran, Japan, Senegal, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, major announcements in Denmark, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, the Maldives, Norway, Liberia, Poland, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, and Zambia. Some of these programs now include biometrics, the majority in the form of fingerprints.
Schemes such as the Gov.UK Verifyinitiative started in 2016. In August 2021, the government published its new version of its digital identity and attributes trust framework.
Australia launched the first phase of its digital identity program in August 2017.
Germany announced in February 2021that its citizens would be able to store a digital version of their national ID card on their phone and use it as a digital ID (with a PIN for authentication) by fall 2021.
Canada is also progressing with its federal digital identity scheme named Pan-Canadian Trust Framework, piloted by the Digital ID Authentication Council of Canada, a non-profit organisation (DIACC). A national proof of concept project for a unified login authentication service called Sign In Canada started in the fall of 2018.
Aadhaar (India’s national eID scheme)crossed the 1 billion users mark in 2016. At the end of August 2021, over 1,3B Aadhaar electronic IDshave been generated (99% of adults). This digital identity can be obtained based on biometric and demographic data. mAadhaar is the official app available in 13 languages on Android and iOS (2019). It essentially acts as a virtual ID card.
Example of digital identity: Canada’s vision (September 2018)
New technologies and regulations supporting the transformation ahead
The United Nations (UN) and World Bank ID4D initiative aims to provide everyone on the planet with a legal identity by 2030.
Digital driver’s license projects (also known as mobile driver’s licenses) gathered momentum in countries including the USA, Korea, UK, Australia, Denmark and the Netherlands.
In April 2021, the US Department of Homeland Security Office of Strategy and Policy opened a public request for comment for digital ID security standards and platforms. The goal is to enable Federal agencies -The TSA (Transit Security Administration)- to accept these credentials for official purposes across the country.
Tests of blockchain technologies took place: in Estonia, to aid the development of a ground-breaking transnational e-residency program; in the UK, to see how it can be used to help make efficient welfare payments to citizens. Blockchain-based self-sovereign identity has been explored for decentralised digital ID architecture since 2018.
Smart borders and airports emerged at a faster pace. Combined with the 1,2 billion ePassports now in circulation and a strong push behind biometrics (particularly face recognition), they offered travellers a taste of cross-border movement that is as secure as it is swift and seamless.
The security industry has been working hard to enhance IAM (Identity and Access Management) and ID verification solutions with, in particular, new secure onboarding apps, including facial recognition with liveness recognitionfeatures. Progress is visibly impressive. For example, with the help of artificial intelligence, the accuracy of the best facial recognition algorithms has increased by a factor of 50 in less than 6 years.
New ID wallet solutions are set to give a serious push to digital identification schemes worldwide. This recent technology defines a secure mobile app to store digitalised and encrypted versions of ID documents, be it an identity, a driver’s license, vehicle card registration, healthcare credentials etc.…
In other words, citizens can have all their ID credentials at hand in a single, secure source for identification and ID verification services. Such wallets enable citizens to prove their identity and rights online and in-person to law enforcement officers, health professionals, or citizens. Crucially, the wallet allows the holder to share what is necessary to verify a transaction and nothing more.It makes sense when you think about it.In many use cases, what matters is a particular attribute or entitlement – age, address, the right to vote (citizenship) or benefit from welfare programs.
Essential for 500m citizens, the European Union’s Electronic Identification and Signature (eIDAS) regulation came into force in July 2016. It requires mandatory cross-border recognition of electronic ID by September 2018. This means existing, and future national digital identity schemes must be interoperable in the EU. However, member states are not forced to implement a digital ID scheme.
At the end of 2020, 19 digital identity schemes were interoperable in Europe in 15 countries: Germany, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the UK (GOV.UK verify).
In June 2021, the European Commissionhas suggested creating a digital ID wallet that can be used across the EU by more than 80% of the EU population by 2030. Read more about this project below.
New standards emerged, fostering compatibility and interoperability.
A new ICAO working group on digital travel credentials was created, led by Australia. The LDS2 conception phase – ‘the future of the ePassport‘ – was undertaken by the ICAO NTWG Logical Data Structure 2 Sub-Group.
The ISO SC17 WG10 – Task Force 14 “Mobile Driving Licence” started to work on verification standards for Mobile DL and defined the scope of offline verification. 2018 and 2019 saw draft specs of offline and online verification appear for a new work item.
Interoperability tests were organised in Japan (2018), in the USA (2019), in Australia (2019), in the Netherlands and in the USA in 2021. The ISO/IEC 18013-5 standard was finalised and published in September 2021. Initially designed to cover the specifications of mobile driver licenses, this ISO standard goes far beyond as it clearly defines the security and communication protocols for digitalised documents to be verified and trusted. As such, it can be referred to for any mobile document initiatives.
The IATA mobile ID working group started in 2017. In December 2020, IATA launched its Travel Pass, a mobile app that helps travellers store and manage their verified certifications for COVID-19 tests or COVID-19 vaccinations. Its ultimate goal is to integrate travel credentialsusing its One ID principle.
The(US) NIST Digital Identity Guidelines(NIST SP 800-63-3) were published in June 2017 (official edition-.) The new version -aka NIST Digital Identity Guideline SP 800-63-4- started in 2020 and is in draft mode as of August 2021. These recommendations for open standards could help improve national identity, credentials, and access management.
In addition, industry alliances have defined, and standardised cryptography and protocols in frameworks and technologies such as OpenID connect, W3C Web authentication (FIDO2) and JWTs. These ubiquitous building bricks can help initiate robust digital identity ecosystems.
Digital identity – The five forces
To start with, don’t expect any slowdown in the momentum we’ve experienced over the past months. In its latest report, ABI Research forecast over 850 million citizens will be equipped with a form of mobile identity by 2026.
The following two years will see some of the most accelerated evolutionary changes experienced so far by public stakeholders and their partners in the field of secure digital identity.
In particular, we think these changes represent essential considerations for authorities that want to make digital mobile identity and online services defining features of their modernisation processes in the years to come.
We expect to see:
More access to the Internet and evenmore mobility
An accelerated shift to digital-first servicing boosted by the COVID 19 pandemic
Greater demand for security and trust
More calls for public supervision of digital identification systems
Even more national ID initiatives and implementations
Let’s dig in.
#1. Easier access to the Internet and even more mobility
ID is getting digital quickly and will become ever more mobile.
Of course, it doesn’t take an expert to recognise we’ve entered an era in which mobile usage and connectivity dominates.
But it’s worth emphasising that the trend shows no sign of abating. And the implications for digital ID are profound.
Government policies, massive investments by telecom operators, falling prices of subscriptions and phones make it all the easier to access the Internet globally.
At the same time, global smartphone penetration is hitting the roof, bringing all the right and necessary infrastructures to launch mobile-based digital identities successfully.
Look at some of the facts:
Google – a company that knows a thing or two about the future of technology – is steadily moving towards a mobile-first world.
Over 5B people already have access to the Internet at the end of 2021. The global online Internet penetration surpasses 66%. Over 92% access the Internet via mobile devices.
55% of global internet traffic is mobile in Q1 2021, according to Statista. Mobile devices are now the primary means of accessing the Internet for users. Mobile connections take the lion’s share of web traffic in mobile-first markets like Africa and Asia.
The global smartphone penetration rate is estimated to have reached over 78% in 2020. This is based on anestimated 6.4 billion smartphone subscriptions worldwideand aglobal population of around 7.8 billion.
According to the GSMA, a new decade of growth has begun for smartphones in Sub-Saharan Africa. Adoption reaching 50% in 2020 and is expected to hit up to 65% by 2025.
The lesson for all digital ID stakeholders is clear: prepare for mobile-first solutions.
#2. An accelerated shift to digital-first servicing
The pandemic accelerated trends such as the digitisation of government, and citizens – left with no choice- embraced technology at levels only anticipated for five or ten years in the future.
Let’s take two examples:
In one year, the number of digital identities issued by the Italian national scheme exploded to 24m as of September 2021 -from 8 in June 2020- according to AGID (Agency for Digital Italy.)
Over 30m users (from 14m in mid-2020) regularly use FranceConnect to authenticate and access 900+ online services as of December 2021.
According to Deloitte, those governments able to address the challenges with success became the most trusted institutions in twenty years for the first time.
Not only more and more governments are fast equipping their citizens with a trusted mobile ID, but they also seem to be accelerating the dematerialisation of public services to enhance the quality of service delivery.
Gartner predicts that by 2023 over 60% of governments will have tripled citizen digital services.
Public agencies have a more mature vision and associated digital strategy and implement digital identity and valuable services in parallel.
Those service-rich online portals offer the necessary tangible benefits to citizens: the assurance they will be able to do more online, have access to almost all available services remotely and will save significant time. Such a virtuous circle will further boost adoption by citizens and encourage government bodies to dematerialise even more.
In Denmark, NemID (soon to be called MitID), the domestic digital ID scheme, is now reaching 100% adoption, which enabled the government to make online access mandatory to public services in the country.
Of course, the scheme was designed to be inclusive in the first place, and as such, offers specific authentication means to the elderly, for instance.
The pandemic presents an opportunity for systemic change and tackle weaknesses such as id theft and fraud.
We need to acknowledge that most existing systems are simply not delivering the progress we need to achieve in secure identification and authentication.
In its March 2021 report, Gartner states that citizen digital identity is one of the top trends that can transform public services in the coming months. The company predicts that standards will emerge by 2024 and make it easier to leverage the technology.
The global pandemic changed digital identity from “nice to have” to “must-have” for governments.
So, here is another takeaway.
Government can seize this moment as an opportunity for transformation.
#3. Greater demand for privacy and trust
The following two years’ key challenge for public authorities will be to create harmonious digital bonds that secure the relationship between new mobile identities and broader society.
This bond is only possible through a general framework of trust built on personal data protection and security guarantees.
In 2018-2021, we had seen those measures taken to bolster security and combat fraud are generally well accepted by citizens. These are, of course, sovereign matters par excellence.
Robust security measures will respond to new demands for trust in all exchanges between citizens and public authorities.
With the explosion of data harnessed by extraordinary advances in technology and the spread of connected devices, the latest surveys show that citizens are more and more worried.
Users demand robust data privacy processes; they want to control their data and decide on what piece of data they share and with whom.
To address those new needs for privacy, the next generation of mobile ID is coming to the market in the form of a Digital ID Wallet.
Highlighting the significance of this shift, Gartner has positioned ‘Identity Wallets for Citizens’ at the peak of its Hype Cycle Wave for Digital Government Technology in 2021.
What exactly is a digital ID wallet? Quite simply, it is a mobile solution that enables citizens to store, manage and selectively disclose identity-related data from different sources and for other purposes.
Those Self Sovereign Identity friendly wallets are gaining more and more momentum around the world and are taking various flavours and shapes. There is certainly more than one way of doing this!
For example, the ISO 18013-5 standard, which defines specifications of mobile documents, is built-on privacy by design principles and gives citizens the power to select the identity attribute they want to share without disclosing their complete identity.
Decentralised identity schemes and Verifiable Credential standards from W3C are also trying to achieve the same goal, giving more control to citizens over their data.
The recent months saw an avalanche of new regulations regarding privacy protection worldwide.
From Europe to Brazil (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dado has been in effect since September 2020), from India and China to California and Africa (South Africa’s POPIA went into effect on 1 July 2020), privacy laws have been passed or are being updated.
European GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation of May 2018 (GDPR) for the European Member States represents a significant step toward data protection and privacy. It’s a unique privacy framework impacting twenty-eight countries, including the UK.
California CCPA and CRPA
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), voted at the end of May 2018, is now effective as of 1 January 2020.
It’s is a significant step forward for privacy rights as the state is often seen as a trendsetter in this domain.
CPRA (California Privacy Rights Act), passed into law in November 2020, is another layer that creates new rights and expands existing ones for California residents.
The law is potentially a model for a US (i.e., federal) data privacy law.
In that sense, the CCPA and CRPA have the potential to become as important as the GDPR.
India
In August 2017, India’s supreme court ruled privacy a “fundamental right” in a landmark case, illustrating that biometric data protection is now on top of the regulators’ list in the world’s largest democracy.
Modi’s new government enhanced privacy protection laws in 2019.
A Personal Data Protection (PDP) legislation is being prepared with similarities with the EU’s GDPR and Californian CCPA. The bill is currently being reviewed (December 2021).
We saw in 2018-2021 the emergence of a global consensus on privacy, its fundamental principle being that mismanagement of personal information will not be tolerated and that companies that do not protect data adequately could be hit with massive fines.
Citizens are expecting greater security and control over their data
New digital identities are taking the form of a Digital ID Wallet
The 2022-2023 period represents a perfect opportunity for public authorities to revitalise the sovereign bond with citizens. In doing so, they can prove it is not some obscure relic of the past but a symbolic, identity-rich vehicle for collective trust
#4. Public supervision will be critical to sustaining growth in the digital economy
Faced with an increasingly challenging economic landscape, governments inevitably search for new sustainable, harmonious growth opportunities.
As regulatory environments take shape, close collaboration between the financial world, central and local public authorities, and digital communications operators will support effective solutions and implement best practices.
Of course, the natural source of new business opportunities is not digital identity itself but the myriad of applications it enables.
This domain is where banks and other operators will see a bottom-line return on investment.
As already outlined, the march of the digital ID is well underway.
Therefore, the focus will be on adopting the new structures and regulations needed to govern the associated services and transactions.
So what does this mean in practice?
The role of public authorities will be to:
Build and nurture national momentum.
Support and coordinate local government investments through which local transformations, close to the community, can operate effectively and efficiently.
Ensure that these multiple local initiatives create a coherent and interoperable spectrum of solutions: mobile citizens will need to find similar service modes wherever they may be.
In the years ahead, the market will follow these initiatives.
#5. More national initiatives and implementations
In the years ahead, the market will follow these initiatives.
How can we be so sure?
Because evidence of the uptake of digital ID and associated services is multiplying.
It gives us the most unambiguous signals that a tipping point is reached.
EU’s proposal: Digital Identity for all Europeans
In its June 2021 proposal, the European Commission specifically suggested creating a digital id wallet.
According to the report (June 2021), digital identities based on digital wallets stored securely on mobile devices were identified as a primary asset for a future-proof solution.
This new form of ID would allow the EU’s 450m residents to access public and private services.
Why a new proposal?
The current eIDAS regulation « falls short » of addressing new market demands, says the Commission.
There’s more. The former regulation was limited to the public sector, complex for third parties and lacked flexibility.
In other words, eIDAS did not reach its potential. Only 60% of EU residents have access to trusted id schemes. Only seven are fully mobile.
By contrast, with this new digital identity framework, at least 80% should use digital IDs by 2030.
The EU id wallet could work across the EU and include electronic attestations of attributes such as ids, driving licenses, diplomas or health certificates and access a broad range of services. It will not be compulsory.
The harmonised wallets issued by the Member States would come in a smartphone app.
Private platforms such as Facebook or Google would be « required » to accept the wallet. Citizens would then use their EU id wallet instead, as Margrethe Vestager, the EU Commissioner for Digital Europe, puts it.
What’s next?
The project will need to be discussed with EU members. An agreement on technical details is expected by fall 2022.
To become a law, the proposed plan will request validation by the EU lawmakers of the European Parliament.
Digital identity and the USA
As congressman Bill Foster puts it in June 2021:” It’s time for the United States to catch up to the rest of the developed world on digital identity.”
The NIST Digital Identity Guidelines are formerly known as NIST SP 800-63-3. NIST published the official edition in June 2017, with an extended edition in 2020 and a new draft this summer.
The bad news?
The initiative launched by the Obama administration never gained momentum as no service providers adopted the framework.
As CSO online stated, the country lacks a comprehensive digital ID strategy (17 September 2020.)
In summary, the design of a coherent ID scheme in the country would need to tackle the unique aspects of the federalist structure, the role of the private sector and challenging privacy and security aspects.
For the moment, several US states have taken the lead and launched or planning to launch digital driver’s licenses (aka mobile driver’s licenses) with the ability to use id credentials online.
New Zealand’s Digital Identity Trust Framework legislation has been drafted this year. It was introduced to parliament in September 2021. It will define rules for the delivery of digital identity services. Identity providers will then be accredited. (progress of the bill)
Australia has decided to delay launching an enhanced version of myGovID and include facial verification capabilities. Due by mid-2020, the scheme is now operational. More than 6m Australians and 1m businesses are already using the digital identity credentialing app, available since June 2019. My GovID and myGov (online government services) are now connected.
So why is digital identity so important?
The benefits of digital identity
Digital identity is playing a foundational role in our digital economy.
Thomas Renz on vaccines at Ron Johnson’s COVID-19 press conf.
Miscarriages up 300%
Cancer up 300%
Neurological issues up 1000%
This is a very important video where Senator Ron Johnson listens to devastating figures that are being hidden by Fauci and the CDC. This is happening all over the world. This is depopulation on a global level.
I know for many of you that this is extremely difficult to believe, but look at the history of rulers and governments.
We are nothing to these people. We put them in power and now that power is being used against us. Look at my other posts. The truth is hard to imagine, but it is happening.
The Truth Hurts News Share blog 