Boost the security of your online service by enabling strong electronic identification
Nearly all Finns have the means to use strong identification online when they want to, provided that the technology is supported by the online service. Thousands of Finnish online services already utilise these means and are able to better secure their services thanks to them.
Strong electronic identification means in Finland:
- An identity card containing a Citizen Certificate issued by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (high)
- An organisation card, intended for companies/organisations, containing a qualified certificate issued by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (high)
- Bank codes issued by banks (substantial)
- Mobile IDs issued by operators (substantial)
You can view the up-to-date list of qualified strong electronic identification providers overseen by Traficom here:
Identification service register
The means are varied, but thankfully very easy to use. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency, banks and operators are members of the Finnish trust network as identification means providers. The trust network also includes a group of strong electronic broker services. With the help of a broker service, your organisation can have access to comprehensive support (banks and operators) for strong electronic identification through a single agreement and integration interface. Attaching substantial level identification means issued by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency to your online service is simple.
Traficom monitors strong electronic identification services (means and brokers) in Finland. In addition to this, there are several options on the market that you can use to enable your users to activate multi-factor authentication in your service. These include authenticator mobile apps by Google or Microsoft or FIDO devices, such as Yubikey. In May 2022, Apple, Google and Microsoft issued a joint statement saying that they would commit to expanded support for FIDO compatibility on their platforms, in their services and in their products. Going forward, enabling FIDO-compatible multi-factor authentication means will be made easier, and even the user’s own phone may serve as an identification means without a separate app downloaded onto the device.
Users’ identification means also have many other uses. The organisation card issued by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency may be used for signing onto workstations or when using VPN software, for example. Certificate cards issued by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency can also be used to create qualified electronic signatures.