The slow digital march of EIDA

The slow digital march of EIDA

September 4, 2011 4:28 by Eva Fernandes

Oh dearest EIDA, EIDA, EIDA- sometimes we wonder if you’ve come from a different era altogether. From the never ending melodrama of issuing and reissuing of IDs to the pronouncement of deadline upon deadline for procuring these precious badges. The past couple of years for EIDA have been punctuated with mass cancellation of applications, mass closings of typing centers and, generally, mass confusion.

We’d love to say the worst is behind us, but we are not going to hold our breath. The end of the year is nearing and lets not forget, this is the most coveted deadline of all deadlines for those who set deadlines…you know, like EIDA.

So given just how far EIDA has to go with its applications, we were rather tickled to read of the body’s plans to go digital.

According to Emirates 24|7: “A new project will be implemented to apply digital identity applications in electronic trade in the country. Once implemented, the UAE would be one of the few countries globally that use the digital identity technology.”

Now we aren’t quite certain what this digital identity will actually do or how it will all work; all we know is that it is a rather ambitious project. We can’t help but be reminded of the old ‘adage: slow and steady wins the race. And if its slow implementation over the last two years is anything to go by, then EIDA will surely win this race.