Cabinet is investigating NL Wallet without an Apple or Google account

The Netherlands is investigating the possibility of making the NL Wallet identification app also available to users without a Google and Apple account. A secure solution is now available for users of Apple and Google, says the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, which also includes Digital Economy and Sovereignty, says that the government makes a trade-off between security and availability. "On the one hand, this means that we limit ourselves as little as possible to specific providers. On the other hand, we also want to protect users against malicious apps," the spokesperson told Follow The Money.

We are currently not working on a version of NL Wallet that can be used without an Apple and Google account. The spokesperson does not rule out that this will happen in the future. "A secure solution has currently been implemented for the largest user groups, those who use the Apple and Google ecosystems. We certainly see opportunities to also support users of other ecosystems and are following developments in this regard. We want to study those options carefully and, if they are safe, implement them before the wallet goes live."

NL Wallet is an app from the Dutch government that allows citizens to share data securely with governments, agencies and companies. The app makes it possible to request only the necessary data, such as proof that the user is eighteen years or older, from the website of a liquor store. The first working version was posted on GitHub two years ago. The final version will probably be released this year.