“Meet the People of Aptitude” introduces the experts and innovators working behind the Aptitude project, one of Europe’s large-scale pilots testing the European Digital Identity Wallet in real-life conditions.
In this interview, we meet Claire Levallois-Barth, from Ethics, Rights and Governance at Aptitude. Claire works at the intersection of technology, fundamental rights and civil society engagement, ensuring that the development of European Digital Identity Wallets remains grounded in European values and fully respectful of citizens’ rights and privacy.
What is the main role of Ethics, Rights and Governance within the Aptitude project?
“Our work has three main objectives. The first is to implement the regulations dealing with the open ecosystem of the digital identity wallet. The second is to take into account the needs of society and of citizens. The third is to build a bridge with civil society through the creation of a special board of representatives.”
What are the main challenges in your area of responsibility?
“The main challenge is to create real conditional trust and to explain to citizens why they can trust this ecosystem. Technical solutions, for example, do not involve creating centralised databases.”
How do you ensure the wallet fully respects fundamental rights and privacy?
“We have to implement the principles defined in the GDPR in order to protect personal data. We will conduct data protection and privacy assessments. For example, if you need to prove that you are over 18, the service only needs a yes or no response; it does not need other data such as your name or your place of residence.”
What role does civil society play in the project’s governance?
“Civil society plays a very important role in ensuring trust. That is why we have set up a specific board, the European Advisory Ecosystem Board. The board is composed of company representatives, citizens and public experts.”
Why must European values remain at the heart of technological development?
“It is essential that technological developments benefit everyone. We must always keep in mind that European values are the very essence of our democratic society.”
The Aptitude project brings together partners from 12 EU Member States and Ukraine to test the European Digital Identity Wallet in real-life scenarios such as travel, payments and digital services. The goal is to make digital identity secure, trusted and citizen-controlled, while ensuring services can work seamlessly across borders.
Learn more about the Aptitude Consortium: https://aptitude.digital-identity-wallet.eu/our-consortium/
