Digital identity is a key element in the digitalisation of society. At Nexus Luxembourg, a panel discussion was dedicated to this topic, moderated by Bert Verdonck, director general of the Luxembourg National Data Service, and bringing together 
All the speakers agreed that, in an increasingly digital world, identity has become the essential starting point for building trust and security. “Whether it’s interacting with public services, running a business or taking part in community initiatives, knowing who you’re dealing with and how to prove who you are effectively is a major challenge.”
Centralisation of tools
Various mechanisms currently exist or are being developed to verify one’s identity online. The one currently making the most headlines is the digital wallet (eWallet). The EU has just finalised the framework for this wallet across the continent and is aiming for full interoperability between member states. This is because there will not be a single European app, but rather an app for each member state, which must comply with the eIDAS Regulation 2. Luxembourg is due to roll out its wallet from 24 December 2026. In practical terms, this wallet will take the form of a smartphone app. To obtain it, users will need to have a MyGuichet.lu user account.
This wallet will contain an identity card, a certificate of residence, a driving licence and a certified electronic signature, and will enable users to share certified documents. The other key method is strong identification. Trusted third-party systems enable certified identification for everyday transactions and access to government services. This is the model used by LuxTrust in the Grand Duchy.
Two centralised approaches. There is a third way: the “commons” approach. Under this model – which has been trialled in Amsterdam – citizen-led data management is based on a paradigm shift: moving away from state surveillance towards individual and collective sovereignty. How does it work?
Sovereignty and selective data sharing
One of the main ways for citizens to manage their data is through the use of a personal ‘digital safe’. Instead of information being scattered across various administrative databases, all of a citizen’s digital interactions are recorded in this private space. This allows individuals to keep track of their digital footprint, including their past behaviour and reputation, over several years. Rather than letting the city passively collect information (which is sometimes out of date or siloed), citizens own their own activity data. They can then choose to share it with the local authorities to assist with urban management.
This system has two major advantages. On the one hand, citizens retain full control over their personal information. On the other, the government has access to much more up-to-date and accurate data to manage its services.
Self-organisation and app development
Thanks to the commons, citizens are no longer mere users, but become creators of services. In initiatives such as that of the MetaState Foundation in Amsterdam, citizens use their digital identity and data vault to develop their own applications using AI, such as ‘time banking’ systems (exchange of service time). In this model, identity can be created by citizens themselves using cryptographic keys, without relying exclusively on a government-issued identification number (such as a national ID number). This helps maintain continuity of trust and data even when a citizen moves from one country to another, thereby avoiding the ‘digital headache’ of having to register multiple times with local authorities.
In short, data management via the commons transforms citizens into equal partners with the authorities, capable of proving their reliability and managing their shared resources (housing, budgets, services) independently and securely. This approach may foreshadow a different model in which individuals create their own digital identity (linked to cryptographic keys) rather than waiting for a government to assign one to them, thereby facilitating the integration of people without official documents, such as refugees.
