The company that manages part of DigiD in the future must be European. State Secretary Eric van der Burg explained in a letter to parliament that the next contract, starting after August 2028, will follow strict national security rules. These rules allow the government to exclude non-European companies to protect public safety.
Right now, DigiD is partly managed by Solvinity, a company owned by a British investor. An American company called Kyndryl wanted to buy it, but the Dutch cabinet blocked the takeover last week. Members of parliament were worried that the US government could use its laws to access DigiD data or even shut the system down.
While Kyndryl said it would try its best to prevent this, the company could not guarantee it was impossible. Because American laws allow the US government to demand data from US tech firms, countries with these kinds of rules will not be allowed to bid for the DigiD contract.
The State Secretary also shared that data on DigiD and MijnOverheid is now being encrypted more securely. This extra security step was recommended after a private investigation into the blocked American takeover.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
