Availability of digital services to be promoted by improving competitiveness of electronic identification

The Government proposes an amendment to the Act on Strong Electronic Identification and Electronic Signatures. The aim of the proposal is to increase the supply of secure and reliable electronic services. 

The proposed amendments will promote the spread of electronic identification and the development of electronic services. The amendments are also aimed at ensuring a reasonable level of pricing between service providers.

The aim is to further improve the possibilities for users to choose the method of identification suitable for their needs and use it widely in different services in the future. 

The amendments promote market development

The proposal brings clarity to the operation and the contractual obligation of the trust network formed by providers of strong electronic identification services. Regulation will help to ensure that pricing between providers of electronic identification services will not hinder the development of new services. In the legislative proposal, the price for the transmission of identification would be reduced from the current 10 cents to 3 cents.

The amendments are based on the Government Programme's objective of creating a growth environment for digital business operations. The project is part of the Government's key project related to digitalisation, experimentation and deregulation.

The strong electronic identification devices currently used in Finland are provided by banks, telecom operators and the Population Register Centre. In addition, some companies providing services only in the transmission of electronic identification operate in the market. The market share of online banking codes is more than 90 per cent in terms of the numbers of both users and transactions.

Today, using online services has already become commonplace. In future, both the use of the services and the number of services offered will increase. Strong identification ensures that online services are used securely and with the correct party.

What next?

The Government submitted to Parliament its proposal for the amendments on 29 November 2018.  A preliminary debate will be held on the proposal in a plenary session. The timetable for the debate will be listed on Parliament's website (upcoming plenary sessions).

After the preliminary debate, the proposal will be taken to a parliamentary committee. After the committee submits its report, the process will continue in a plenary session. 

Inquiries:
Elina Thorström, Director of Unit, +358 40 507 4502
Jenni Rantio, Senior Government Adviser, +358 50 524 2326