Identity Protection on the Internet: Majority of European States Trust Security Solutions from Infineon for eIDs and Online Public Services

Neubiberg, Germany – January 23, 2014 –Internet is very much a part of modern life; today online world has pierced in every aspect of our lives such as online shopping, banking or chatting. Not only e-commerce is continuously growing, online services from public sector are also increasingly used throughout Europe. They provide a more convenient and efficient way for the public to access their government services and reduce the frequency of the time-consuming visits to their local government offices. Prerequisite to use online public services with a secure proof of identity is an electronic identity card (eID) with security chip. One recent example of such an eID implementation was the Slovak Republic which just started to issue an eID using solely security chips from Infineon Technologies AG to store the personal and confidential data of their citizens.

Europe’s leading role

20 among the 35 countries worldwide that have introduced eIDs with online function are in Europe. More than 70 percent of these European states trust in Infineon’s security solutions.

Europe’s leading role is also strongly promoted by the European Union (EU) which requires the implementation of an integrated domestic market and the harmonization of available online public services for all EU citizens by 2015. Whether the citizens are registering a vehicle or residency or filing the tax returns online, they should be able to go across the national boundaries and around the clock by 2015. In addition, the eID with online function can serve as the proof of identification when opening a bank account, shopping online or enrolling an insurance policy. This is more comfortable for citizens and consumers, while bureaucracy and in the long term administrative complexity and costs can be reduced.

Cyber security imposed a critical issue for the connected world

Increasing digitalization and connectivity and the intensive use of internet services by companies, government institutions and citizens also demand ever more stringent security requirements. The applications are not only limited to the internet but also include associated information and communication structures such as the IT infrastructure of government institutions and companies. Therefore, National institutions such as the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and international organizations like the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) are developing security strategies and issuing technical recommendations for online data security.

When using eIDs for online services, identity protection is the paramount concern. Infineon’s security chips such as the SLE78 product family with the digital security technology ‘Integrity Guard’ allow secured storage of the personal data of eID card holders and thereby help to protect the sovereign documents effectively against counterfeit, manipulation and fraud. They offer state-of-the-art data encryption mechanisms that make it possible to protect the entire data flow from sender to recipient from unauthorized access by third parties: a prerequisite for secure and confidential communication on the internet and on cloud-based networks between citizens and government agencies, businesses and financial institutions. This creates trust and increases acceptance of new digital applications. For more information about Infineon’s chip card and security solutions, please visit www.infineon.com/chip-card-and-security and www.infineon.com/SLE78 .

According to EUROSMART, the international association of the smart card industry, a total of more than 150 million eID cards with an online feature had been issued in European countries by the end of 2013. Not only Europe, also in Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America face dramatically increased demand for sovereign documents and eGovernment services. In 2014 alone, EUROSMART forecasts growth of 14 percent for all types of sovereign documents.

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, mobility, and security. In the 2013 fiscal year (ending September 30), the Company reported sales of €3.84 billion with around 26,700 employees worldwide. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).Further information is available at www.infineon.com