The Netherlands can exclude non-EU companies as future DigiD hosts

The government can exclude a potential successor to DigiD host Solvinity if it does not come from an EU country. This is reported by the Ministry of the Interior. The tender contract with Solvinity expires in 2028. An American party was about to take over that company.

What was it again?

DigiD is the Dutch identification system for citizens at organizations such as government services, insurers or medical institutions. The government organization Logius manages DigiD, but the software runs on servers of an external hosting provider, Solvinity.

That party had concluded a takeover deal with the American Kyndryl last year. Last month the government blocked the proposed takeover. The purchase may pose a risk to the public interest. For example, America could have hindered access to DigiD.

The tender contract for Solvinity's successor will be conducted via the Defense and Security Procurement Act. State Secretary Eric van der Burg of the Interior announced this in a letter to the House of Representatives. The difference with a regular European tender is that the ADV requires that there are more 'options to limit risks to national security'. For example, parties that are not established in EU member states can be excluded.

The contract with Solvinity was extended for another two years earlier this year. The agreement expires in August 2028. Solvinity is owned by a British investment company and therefore not an EU company. Logius is currently preparing the tender. The House will be informed again as soon as the tender has been awarded.

Technical measures

The letter also states that additional technical measures are being taken in response to an undisclosed vulnerability scan. The personal data in DigiD and MijnOverheid will be better encrypted and additional backups will be made at another government data center. In addition, the monitoring of Solvinity's hosting platform is being strengthened 'by further expanding the number of detection rules'.