A recent international study on digital identities has highlighted some significant trends regarding electronic authentication tools in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. According to the research, Smart-ID tops the charts in all three Baltic countries as the most reliable tool. Smart-ID is also highly recommended by users because of their very positive experiences. This strong tendency of people to recommend Smart-ID to others underlines its position as a top choice for electronic authentication. This trend has been prevalent already since 2021.
The study conducted by RAIT shows that Smart-ID, a service by SK ID Solutions, continues to be the most preferred authentication tool. This is evident by the fact that it is most recommended by users compared to all other authentication methods.
In Estonia, the recommendation for Smart-ID is particularly strong, significantly ahead of all other authentication solutions, including the ones provided by global institutions like Google or Facebook. Similar trends are observed in Latvia and Lithuania, where Smart-ID also consistently comes out on top as the most endorsed authentication tool.
The study also examined the reliability of eID tools, confirming that Smart-ID stands out as the number one choice across all three Baltic states due to its outstanding trustworthiness. This can be attributed to Smart-ID’s seamless availability and its ability to adapt to the user’s needs, providing reliable service anytime and anywhere, ensuring a convenient and consistently stable experience.
Smart-ID at the Heart of e-Authentication diversity
Scanning for eID tool usage across the Baltic states, Smart-ID clearly stands out as the top choice for all Baltic people. Smart-ID is favoured also due to its unique feature of allowing users to manage multiple accounts across different devices. This is attested by a substantial user base of 3.4 million people, who maintain 5 million active accounts across different devices and make 80 million transactions each month.
Baltic user preferences point to three main considerations when choosing electronic authentication tools. Firstly, the robustness of security, which Smart-ID strongly provides. The tool offers top-tier security for user data and digital identities, excelling in this aspect. Secondly, users value the ease of use; Smart-ID meets this by employing user-friendly designs that cater to a diverse range of users. Lastly, users appreciate a simple implementation process. Smart-ID caters to this demand by ensuring a fast and easy setup.
Digital Signing and Government Interaction
The study also defined the top 3 uses for eID tools across the Baltic states. Predominantly, users utilize these tools for digital signing (first choice for all respondents), access to financial services, and engagement with governmental institutions. This pattern testifies to the value users place on Smart-ID’s ease of use and secure access to various digital services. Notably, signing with Smart-ID is as easy as it gets, and signatures made with it are legally equivalent to their handwritten counterparts.
In addition, given its user-friendly nature and extensive usage, Smart-ID is emerging as a tool of choice for citizens to communicate with government websites such as latvija.lv, which it was recently integrated with. In Estonia, citizens have been using Smart-ID to conveniently interact with the government already since 2019.
This international eID study, conducted by RAIT in the fall of 2023, targeted a representative 3000 individual sample aged 18-65, offering a comprehensive demographic cross-section of the Baltic states while focusing on demographic factors like age, gender, nationality, and region.
For a more comprehensive overview of this study and additional insights, please visit the Newsroom of SK ID Solutions.