Become Estonia’s e-resident • Hacker News Board

Re: Become Estonia’s e-resident

#11

Post by ikawe » Mon, Oct 06, 2014, 5:59 PM UTC

I was in Estonia two days ago. I just passed through on a whim as part of a European bicycle tour. I am embarrassed to admit, I knew very little about the country before being there.

I was only there a week, so my impressions are addmittedly naive, but very positive. There was a lot of technology forward thinking - online voting, constitutional right to internet access, co-working spaces catering to young entrepreneurs.

So quite hight tech on the one hand, and on the other hand, there is a deep respect for and serious comprehension of nature. The country is 50% forest! And my experience with Estonian camp sites was that they were free, ancient, and beautiful. I felt like I was camping in a sacred grove (I probably was).

Man, wish I had stayed longer. Anyone doing any cool projects there?

Re: Become Estonia’s e-resident

#12

Post by spindritf » Mon, Oct 06, 2014, 6:01 PM UTC

tvanantwerp wrote: post #4

"To apply for one, you need to make visit a Police and Border Guard office in Estonia – there you need to submit an application and provide biometrical data (your facial image and fingerprints) for background check."

"We are working to add capacity to our embassies to process e-residency applications and issue cards abroad by the end of 2015 – so that you would not necessarily need to travel to Estonia to join us as an e-resident."

From the leaflet [PDF] http://e-estonia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Become-Eston...

Re: Become Estonia’s e-resident

#13

Post by duckingtest » Mon, Oct 06, 2014, 6:05 PM UTC

There's nothing particularly Estonian to this - you can buy European digital identity in all EU countries (except Great Britain and Ireland, last I checked). All documents signed by your key are legally as valid as those signed by your hand. Sadly, it's not used much outside of government services.

Re: Become Estonia’s e-resident

#14

Post by jkaljundi » Mon, Oct 06, 2014, 6:07 PM UTC

daveloyall wrote: post #8

For some time, I have daydreamed of various cool scenarios that would only be possible with a government-issued digital ID. But in my daydreams, I've never considered a third-party government issuer. I don't see value in this beyond the value that I see in a corporate-issued digital ID, and that's hardly more valuable than a self-issued ID. Obviously, Estonia has considered some angle which I have not. You can become…

Which scenarios have you thought of?

A start would be to do anything an Estonian can do today online in almost real time. Founding a company online: 5 minutes and you're in business. Very simple tax and other legislation, so very simple reporting online - and getting tax refunds if needed in a few days.

But this should not be limited to existing legacy services we use. Think of what you could do anything online with an absolute cryptographically strong vetted proof, that it's you, valid across the world? That's very different from a corporate ID which has no power internationally.

Re: Become Estonia’s e-resident

#15

Post by TrainedMonkey » Mon, Oct 06, 2014, 6:09 PM UTC

daveloyall wrote: post #8

For some time, I have daydreamed of various cool scenarios that would only be possible with a government-issued digital ID. But in my daydreams, I've never considered a third-party government issuer. I don't see value in this beyond the value that I see in a corporate-issued digital ID, and that's hardly more valuable than a self-issued ID. Obviously, Estonia has considered some angle which I have not. You can become…

Estonian language is perceived as having uncharacteristically long dragging of vowels during pronunciation, so e-Estonian works just as well. I wonder if there is some kind of inside joke around that.

Re: Become Estonia’s e-resident

#16

Post by throwaway_yy2Di » Mon, Oct 06, 2014, 6:13 PM UTC

duckingtest wrote: post #13

There's nothing particularly Estonian to this - you can buy European digital identity in all EU countries (except Great Britain and Ireland, last I checked). All documents signed by your key are legally as valid as those signed by your hand. Sadly, it's not used much outside of government services.

Isn't that for citizens and residents of those EU states? This "e-residency" is for anyone in the world: there's 241 nations in the "Your Country" menu.

(which by the way is a few years outdated: e.g. there's no South Sudan, and Libya is still the "Libyan Arab Jamahiriya", which was Qaddafi's name for it).

Re: Become Estonia’s e-resident

#17

Post by jkaljundi » Mon, Oct 06, 2014, 6:14 PM UTC

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #10

Two things leap out - who makes the smart card? What is the model? - wow - that's just like Neal Stephenson and joining Tribes based not on location but membership. But I can't see myself going to Estonia just to pick one up ... I'll wait till the embassy in London does it :-)

It's made by Trüb in Switzerland, the leading player in Europe in issuing national id cards: http://www.trueb.ch/en/identity-card/secure-citizens

Here are the Estonian specs: http://www.id.ee/index.php?id=35772

Re: Become Estonia’s e-resident

#18

Post by asstonian » Mon, Oct 06, 2014, 6:14 PM UTC

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #10

Two things leap out - who makes the smart card? What is the model? - wow - that's just like Neal Stephenson and joining Tribes based not on location but membership. But I can't see myself going to Estonia just to pick one up ... I'll wait till the embassy in London does it :-)

EstEID specification - covers all ID-card application versions issued in Estonia: http://www.id.ee/public/TB-SPEC-EstEID-Chip-App-v3_5-2014032...

The Estonian ID-card and Digital Signature Concept: http://www.id.ee/public/The_Estonian_ID_Card_and_Digital_Sig...

Re: Become Estonia’s e-resident

#19

Post by jkaljundi » Mon, Oct 06, 2014, 6:16 PM UTC

ikawe wrote: post #11

I was in Estonia two days ago. I just passed through on a whim as part of a European bicycle tour. I am embarrassed to admit, I knew very little about the country before being there. I was only there a week, so my impressions are addmittedly naive, but very positive. There was a lot of technology forward thinking - online voting, constitutional right to internet access, co-working spaces catering to young entrepreneu…

Re projects, here's a list of some of the Estonian startups: http://hub.garage48.org/estonian-startups

Re: Become Estonia’s e-resident

#20

Post by toomuchtodo » Mon, Oct 06, 2014, 6:25 PM UTC

jkaljundi wrote: post #9

xmpir wrote: post #2

What exactly can one do with this digital identity?

Some background information here: http://e-estonia.com/taavi-kotka-promises-10-million-e-eston... Although the first stages will be more towards foreigners who conduct any business in Estonia, the next stages should allow appearance of new business models and internationally operated activities headquartered and registered in Estonia.

The Delaware of the world.