Mauritania e-ID

The Mauritania e-ID project is a digital identity initiative launched in 2023 by the Mauritanian Government in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project implements a mobile-based digital identity system focused on enabling passwordless authentication for e-government services through biometric verification.

The technical implementation relies on several key standards and protocols including NIST standards for identity verification, OpenID Connect for authentication flows, and W3C Verifiable Credentials. The system incorporates face biometrics with liveness detection checks against ID documents, and uses QR code scanning for authentication. A notable security feature is the implementation of the double blindness principle which separates the identity proofing and authentication server from the civil registry management.

The project was initiated through a UNDP request for proposals that specified requirements for an open-source mobile digital identity solution adhering to privacy by design principles. The implementation aligns with Mauritania's 'Digital Agenda 2022-2025' strategy to improve public service accessibility. The system's architecture includes a mobile application available on both Android and iOS platforms, along with backend infrastructure for identity verification and authentication services.