eID-Me launches in Ontario as the province’s first digital ID card

Ottawa-based Bluink has launched its mobile ID app in Ontario on both Android and iOS.

This app allows you to upload your Ontario Driver’s licence and passport information to a secured app to consolidate some of your important personal information digitally.

For now, the service is just more of a secure way to keep your passport information on your phone compared to the default notes app.

In the future, Bluink wants to use this service as a form of online sign-in. Ideally, this would be a fast way to register for websites and services because it stores all the information it uses locally on your device instead of in the cloud.

If you read the company’s FAQ page online, you’ll notice that this digital ID card can’t replace a physical card in law enforcement situations. The company does mention that various government bodies are working on digitizing ID card laws, so in the future, this app might be much more useful.

That said, the company plans to integrate with various government and commercial services over time. Specifically, the app was funded with $1.2 million from Ontario’s SBIC program. SBIC is the Ontario Government’s ‘Small Business Innovation Challenge’ and its goal is to fund and “support the growth of high-potential, technology-driven small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the province,” according to its website.

You can download the app on iOS and Android for free.

To sign up, you’ll need your Ontario Driver’s License, your passport and to be at the address listed on them. It’s also worth noting that you can scan the back of your passport for your information since there’s an NFC chip in newer passports.

Source: Bluink