Three-month warning
The Smart-ID app offered by banks as an authentication and electronic signature tool for confirming payments and making other transactions currently has 916,000 users, according to app developer SK ID Solutions Latvia Director Sanita Meijere. Why will so many users be required to update their data to continue using the app?
"It's for every user's security. Anyone who has a passport or ID karte has to change it every once in a while. It's the same in the electronic environment, because technology develops much more rapidly and quickly there," said Meijere.
Users will receive a notification from both their bank and the app that their personal data must be updated. The first notification will be three months before the data expires, and the user will receive regular updates up to the expiration date. Those who don't react will recieve an email, followed by a text message.
Security precautions
Finance Latvia Association Digital Transformation Committee Co-chair Iļja Nogičevs reminded Smart-ID users to take safety precautions to protect their information. According to Meijere, there have been two instances of fraud in Latvia over the three years the app has been in use.
"When you sign into your online bank, check if it's really you doing it. Fraud attempts happen most frequently when a person simply enters the authorization code out of carelessness," said Nogičevs.
“People themselves have to be cautions and think about what they're doing. Because the Smart-ID can't simply suddenly activate and ask for your PIN code,” said Meijere. Users can update their personal data in the Smart-ID app. The company is currently working on a new electronic signature tool using Smart-ID.
