The Samsung Galaxy S20 will support storing German national ID cards later this year

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series, which was unveiled earlier this year in February, is the first smartphone series from the company to feature an embedded Secure Element (eSE). The devices use the eSE to store critical information like crypto-currency data, fingerprints, face scans, login credentials, etc. and it also includes extra countermeasures to protect against hackers, malware, and viruses. Adding on to the eSE’s capabilities, Samsung has now announced that the Galaxy S20 series will soon offer an innovative electronic ID (eID) solution to help German users store their National ID cards on their phone for easier access.

Samsung worked with the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), Bundesdruckerei (bdr), and Deutsche Telekom Security GmbH to develop a holistic security architecture for the new eID solution. The eID solution is part of the German government’s OPTIMOS 2.0 project which seeks to develop an open ecosystem that provides technologies and infrastructure for secure online authentication using mobile devices.

Once the eID solution rolls out, Galaxy S20 users will be able to easily digitize their government ID via a multi-party registration process that is designed to protect against identity theft. The registration process will require an eID app which will be available for download on the Google Play Store later this year. The app, which will be distributed by Bundesdruckerei, will let users tap their NFC-enabled National ID card on the back of their device to verify their identity. Once verified, the mobile eID will be stored securely on their smartphone and can be used to open bank accounts, use eGovernment services, and more.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series is the first line of mobile devices to offer such capabilities. However, since Samsung has revealed that it will be selling its first and second-gen Secure Element chips to other OEMs, we expect to see more devices get support for the eID solution in the near future.

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Source: Samsung Mobile Press (1,2)

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