Digital Identity (Digital ID) and Cyber security are both cross cutting themes of the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa 2020-2030. The relevance of cybersecurity for digital ID systems and incorporation in Africa can be tied not only to Africa’s Digital Transformation agenda but also to the realisation of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) ambitions, the digital single market initiative and the AU Agenda 2063. Digital ID is key to the need for digital inclusion and besides personal data, information related to online activities such as photographs, purchasing preferences, website usage patterns, and bank account information, are included in an individual’s digital identity. Digital ID is also relevant on different fronts i.e., financial systems, social media sites, government systems, electronic commerce websites, telecom networks, etc. Digital ID now features an individual’s best offline and online identities.
The linking and interoperability of the digital identity of citizens with all other functional identities such as driver’s license, health insurance, voter’s registration and bank verification number is now an increased approach in Africa. Such development and the digitising of citizens’ data, which makes up digital identity, and storing them in centralised databases increases the risk of cybersecurity breaches of digital identity databases. The use of digital identification in a robust, secure, capable of protecting privacy manner, therefore becomes an essential and reliable element for a strong cyber resilience strategy. For a region like Africa which is the least digitalised region of the world, at the heart of the challenge lie two important inter-related considerations: trust and security in the digital systems.
As AI technology also expands in capability and deployment, so do the risks of criminal exploitation. Opportunities for AI-enabled crime exist both in the specifically computational domain (overlapping with traditional notions of cybersecurity) and also in the wider world. some of these threats arise as an extension of existing criminal activities, while others may be novel. AI has increasingly become a tool for cybercrimes, making use of its capabilities to facilitate actions against real world targets. In relation to identity, AI can be used to predict the behaviour of people in order to discover and exploit vulnerabilities. AI can also be used to generate fake content for use in identity theft, blackmail, fraud etc. Therefore, developing Digital ID Systems in Africa without advancing the agenda of cybersecurity in the region will be a futile exercise. Securing the digital identity ecosystem matters because it can help to establish the basis for trust between government and citizens and for service providers, service users and identity services. Increased security, trust and confidence in identities will also incentivize greater participation.
The panel session will discuss how the continent can enhance the integration of cybersecurity considerations into digital ID related policies. As African governments and businesses are being encouraged to invest in automated technologies which provide users with ownership of their own data because of sensitive information entailed in data collection for digital ID systems, this must go hand in hand with the prioritisation of cybersecurity. The introduction of cybersecurity laws and legislation is still quite at a development stage in Africa and not many African countries have cybersecurity legislation and strategies, therefore the session will analsye the policy and legal initiatives in Africa have focused on Digital ID in the context of cybersecurity and how can states underscore cybersecurity in the deployment of digital ID management. Panellists will also discuss the implications of the rapidly evolving emerging technologies in relation to digital systems and cyber-related policies and how these can be leveraged in Africa to achieve trust and security in the deployment of Digital ID initiatives, including in terms of cybersecurity responsive strategies that focus on securing the digital identity of Africans. Finally, the session will also discuss how research in Africa be prioritised as a tool to promote and enhance synchronised cybersecurity approaches in Africa through supporting the operations of cybersecurity initiatives of Member States