PRAGUE and TEMPE, Ariz. — December 20, 2022 — The EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (EWC), was selected by the European Commission to run one of the Large Scale Pilots for the new EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI) ecosystem. Avast, a leading digital security and privacy brand of Gen™, sits on the Executive Team of the consortium, having been closely involved in its formation. The EUDI Wallet is a part of the proposed eIDAS2.0 regulation, which will provide all European citizens access to a trusted digital identity provided by their government and accepted by all EU Member States and EFTA.

The EWC which is led by the Swedish and Finnish governments is supported by 50+ organizations including governments, industry experts in the travel and payment industry as well as technology partners experienced in digital identity, wallet applications, trust services and the integration of these technologies into online services.

“With digital wallets becoming mainstream, the EUDI Wallet will be transformational for European citizens. It will allow them to prove more securely and privately who they are online and take control over the release of their personal information. By focusing on travel for the EWC’s pilot, we will show how we can simplify often painful travel transactions and make them more secure for both users and travel organizations," said Andrew Tobin, Commercial Director for Europe at Avast, a brand of Gen™, and executive team member at the EWC.

The EWC pilot is focused on the use of the EU Digital Identity Wallet in the context of travel – such as providing passenger information, buying goods and services, and trusted business to business interactions. The pilot will focus on situations which are central to people’s online lives and identify barriers and enablers to adoption and scaling of the EUDI wallet. The pilot scenarios will be evaluated and tested by many end-users across Europe to optimize the user experience.

“eCommerce is the next largest use of the internet after social media and messaging. By demonstrating the power of digital wallets for travel, we will be able to transfer these learnings to other types of eCommerce such as online shopping. Avast is proud to be a part of this crucial step to powering digital freedom across the globe to help people live their digital lives safely, privately, and confidently today and in the future,” said Tobin.