Threats and opportunities in a commercial setting

In 2002, Belgium has adopted an electronic identity card as one of the first countries in Europe. By the end of 2009, the roll-out of the eID card will be completed. This means that each Belgian citizen will possess an eID card. The card enables her to digitally prove her identity and to legally sign electronic documents. The Belgian eID card opens up new opportunities for the government, its citizens, service providers and application developers. The Belgian eID technology originally aimed at facilitating transactions between Belgian citizens and the government. Although many eID applications have been developed, the success of the Belgian eID technology has not been what was expected. Therefore, the Belgian government encourages developers to build commercial applications that use the eID card (for authentication or e-signatures). However, extending the scope of the Belgian eID technology from e-government to the commercial sector is no sinecure and not without risks.status: publishe