Why binding biometrics to your PID Is essential for securing your ID Wallet

As EU member states prepare for the rollout of the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI-Wallet), one key debate stands out: how can we truly secure a digital identity in a way that prevents fraud, without compromising usability or privacy?

At first glance, combining your device (something you have) and a PIN code (something you know) to open your ID wallet might seem sufficient. And adding biometrics, like facial recognition to open your device, might feel like a solid third layer. But let’s take a step back and ask: Is biometric authentication on its own really enough? And if not, what role does linking it to your Personal Identification Data (PID) actually play?

Let's dive into this!

The core problem: cyber crime is getting better

We know that phones can be stolen, PINs can be shoulder-surfed, and yes, even facial recognition can be spoofed using deepfakes or 3D masks. So what stops a criminal who has all three from gaining access to your ID wallet and acting on your behalf?

The answer: not much, if your ID wallet only checks that “someone” is unlocking the phone, not that you, the rightful holder of the ID wallet, are present and in control.

Why the PID link matters

The PID is your formal digital identity. It’s the anchor of your ID wallet; your name, date of birth, and other identifying attributes that define who the wallet is about.

When we bind biometric verification directly to the PID, we take a critical step beyond local device authentication. We are no longer just checking that someone can unlock a phone. We are cryptographically proving that you, at this moment, match the identity stored in the wallet. This is the foundation of what's known as a Proof of Presence (PoP). So what is this Proof of Presence?

A robust PoP system does three things:

1. It performs biometric verification with liveness detection to prevent spoofing.
2. It cryptographically binds that live biometric confirmation to your PID (via the Wallet Unit Attestation).
3. It involves a trusted third party (QTSP) that issues a tamper-proof attestation proving the match occurred.

The result: even if a fraudster has your phone, your facial recognition and PIN they still can’t generate the PoP that proves they are the legitimate owner of the identity.

I'm not saying that for every time when you want to open your ID wallet or using your PID or QEAA's you have to follow to three PoP steps above. But as a verifier (or relying party) you might require assurance that the person presenting the PID is really the holder. It's a risk-based approach. For example, if you transfer €10,000, the bank would like to have this additional assurance and so do you. Because someone might act on your behalf and send the €10,000 to their own bank account.

Isn’t this just Face ID, but fancier?

Not quite. Standard biometric checks (like Face ID) happen locally on your phone, with no external visibility. There’s no audit trail, no trusted confirmation, and no cryptographic link to your PID. It’s just a convenience layer.

A proper PoP, however, creates a verifiable proof, usable by issuing and verifying parties, that the ID wallet is truly in the right hands, without ever sharing the actual biometric data. That’s a huge leap in both security and privacy!

Raising the bar for attackers

No system is unbreakable. But the goal of linking biometric checks to PID is to make identity theft orders of magnitude harder.

Spoofing a local Face ID might be possible. Spoofing a live biometric verification, bound to a PID, logged by a QTSP, and cryptographically sealed? That’s a far more difficult and unattractive target.

This shift does not eliminate all risks, but it raises the bar so high that most attackers will move on to easier victims. And trust me, there are many out there! Saving there passwords still in excel files.

Final thought

As we roll out ID wallets for millions of citizens, 450 million to be specific, trust is everything. And that trust depends on ensuring that only the real, rightful owner can present their identity. Not just anyone with access to a phone, facial ID and PIN.

Biometrics alone are not enough. Biometrics + PID binding + Proof of Presence = meaningful security.

If we get this right, we will take a major step toward making digital identity not just more convenient, but truly safer.