EU President Seeks Global Digital ID and AI Authority

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent

BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The European Union’s top executive wants a world authority to supervise global digital identity documents, similar to coronavirus vaccine passports and artificial intelligence (AI).

Ursula von der Leyen, named by Forbes magazine as “the most powerful woman in the world,” explained her plans at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in New Delhi, India, according to remarks seen by Worthy News on Tuesday.

Von der Leyen, the president of the EU’s executive European Commission, told a G20 session dubbed “One Future” she was proud that her 27-nation bloc strides towards an EU-wide digital identity application, or app.

Critics say that the app can store a citizen’s personal information, including credit cards, driver’s license, and passport data. Cristian Terhes, an outspoken Romanian member of the EU’s European Parliament, warned that a cross-border digital ID system would result in the “Chinafication” of Europe.

He refers to the social credit system in Communist-run China in which perceived opponents of the government could be restricted in traveling, employment, access to finance, and the ability to enter into contracts.

However, Von der Leyen countered that the COVID-19 digital vaccination certificate, necessary for traveling or entering several public places, had been a success. “The model was so functional and so trusted that 51 countries on four continents adopted it for free. Today, the [World Health Organization] WHO uses it as a global standard to facilitate mobility in times of health threats.”

Like Beijing, Brussels also seeks to introduce a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), which critics say could be misused to impose the will of the EU on the people of its member states.

WORLD BODY

Additionally, Von der Leyen suggested that a world body linked to the United Nations should oversee digital IDs and AI, a technology that she said had “risks” but also opportunities.

“In the EU, in 2020, we presented the first-ever law on artificial intelligence. We want to facilitate innovation while building trust,” she said.

“But we need more. What the world does now will shape our future. I believe that Europe – and its partners – should develop a new global framework for AI risks,” Von der Leyen added.

The new global authority should operate like the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), she explained. “Humanity stood to benefit,” she argued if an international authority could clarify the risks and rewards related to AI, like the IPCC for climate concerns.

She made her controversial digital comments ahead of her final annual EU-style ‘State of the Union’ address to European legislators Wednesday before likely seeking another term in office.

Sources familiar with her thinking suggested that Von der Leyen wants to make her speech count by trumpeting things she claims she has done to improve Europeans’ lives over the past four years.

The 64-year-old reportedly seeks credit on issues ranging from “conquering” the COVID-19 pandemic to countering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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