Bahaa Abdul Hadi is an Identity Management expert and regularly shares his experiences with his audience through his blogs.

In many countries across the world, civil identification is a term commonly used. Shortly called Civil ID, it is an identity card. Its purpose is to verify the identification of individuals. This verification is often done when an individual interacts with government organizations. Nevertheless, nowadays, regulated private industries also use the civil identity of a person. An excellent example is mobile phone accounts that need the identity of the owner of the specific mobile number.

The government uses the civil identity of individuals in different situations. Examples include employment background verification, voter registration, border management or issuance of any government documents.

Association Between Civil Identification Register and Civil Registers:

Civil Registers are shortly referred to as CRs, while CIR is the short-term used for denoting Civil Identification Registers. Both these are public sector agencies in some countries. They function as sole custodians of public records that include the legal identities of the public.

Both CIR and CR are considered foundational or primary. The reason is that they offer institutional anchoring for evaluating and authenticating identities. These two registers however play different roles as they issue different identity credentials. But, they are dependent on each other as well.

More Information on Civil Identity:

Civil Identity is a unique identity of an individual. This ID is issued after registration, verification, conservation and management of personal data. This ID differs from one country to another. It can have a unique identification number along with the photograph and signature of an individual. In some countries, this ID is called by different names. Some countries also have biometric data related to the individual in his civil ID. Its purpose is to verify and authenticate a person for accessing any service or benefit from the government.

The inclusion of biometric details into civil identity aids with combating anonymity. It even permits citizens of a country to gain access to government services. The reason is that they have the ID that helps authorities to identify that they are citizens of the country.

Countries Using Biometrics with Civil IDs:

Most countries issue civil identities to their citizens to authenticate their citizenship. This unique ID is called by different names in different countries. Here is a list of countries that use biometrics and the name of the civil ID of that country:

  • United States of America – Social Security Number or SSN.
  • Germany – National ID with biometric images
  • India – 12 Digit Unique number called Aadhar.
  • Ghana – GhanaCard
  • The Philippines – Phil-ID.

Conclusion:

The use of biometrics in Civil Identities makes the ID unique and unbreakable. As the biometrics of each individual is different, civil identity with biometrics is undoubtedly an excellent innovation.

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