Would You Trust Your Government With Your Digital Identity?

National digital identity projects promise efficiency, security, and even economic growth, yet adoption worldwide has been uneven. India’s Aadhaar highlights biometric privacy risks, Canada experiments with decentralized self-sovereign ID, Germany and Italy grapple with fragmented systems, while Estonia is praised yet still exposed to vulnerabilities. From Peru’s near-universal eID rollout to Switzerland’s citizen-led pushback, each case underscores both the promise and pitfalls of digital identity. Lessons from these efforts suggest that trust, privacy, and integration are just as critical as technology when shaping the future of eID.