Denmark-based payment solutions company Nets has announced the Nets Passport Reader, a new service that allows for the identification and verification of both physical and digital documents.

Using the Nets Passport Reader app, enterprises can digitally authenticate individuals using a smartphone even if they don’t possess an electronic ID. The solution aims to bridge the gap between physical documents and digital IDs, and the fact that it is compatible with passports from over 130 countries may go a long way toward accomplishing this goal.

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus and the physical distancing measures that have been put into place as a result of it, the demand for digital IDs and authentication has grown over the last few months. Solutions like the Nets Passport Reader could potentially make it easier for various types of enterprises to allow customers access to services and secure data, while also helping with customer onboarding without requiring face to face contact.

“The Nets Passport Reader offers a new secure and frictionless method of digital identification for use in many different scenarios, ranging from the needs of public officials to private companies,” said Kai Olshausen, Senior Business Manager for Nets.

In a release announcing the launch of the Nets Passport Reader, the company notes that it operates “with extremely high security standards”, and that within the app the smartphone’s camera is used for both document/ID verification as well as liveness detection for added security.

Nets already plays a significant role in digital services in Nordic countries as a host for national electronic ID (eID) services for both its home country of Denmark and neighboring Norway, where it’s used by authorities to help citizens who don’t yet have a Norwegian eID to gain access to online public services.

“The use of the Nets Passport Reader has enabled a secure way to remotely authenticate people who need access to online public services,” says Stig Slaatto-Hornnes, Product Manager, the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency. “Thanks to the successful collaboration between Nets and the Norwegian authorities, we have established a digital onboarding process for our MyID service in a short period of time.”

Nets also notes that it intends to add the ability to digitally sign documents in a future release of the app, though no specific timeline for the feature has been given as of yet.

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June 12, 2020 – by Tony Bitzionis