Professor Marte Eidsand Kjørven, who won the 2024 Rule of Law Award, led Norway’s SODI project on societal security and digital identities. The study praises market‑based eID tools—BankID, Buypass and Comfides— for unlocking banking, tax, health and Altinn services. Yet it warns that the same “universal keys” generate exclusion, fraud and weak legal safeguards.

The final report brands the governance of digital IDs a “catastrophe,” citing disclaimed responsibility, absent protection and threats to human rights, democracy and national security. Vulnerable users—elderly, disabled or those like ‘Bendik’ with Down syndrome denied BankID—lose access to essential public services, creating a new form of digital disenfranchisement.

Fraud spikes underscore the risk: DNB blocked attempts totaling over 3.3 billion NOK, a 30 % rise, yet criminals still siphoned billions by stealing eIDs to open loans, register companies or claim benefits. The report blames fragmented responsibilities, opaque decision‑making and reliance on private actors, and proposes a coordinated governance framework to restore legal certainty and protect citizens.

Stakeholders including the Tax Administration, four Norwegian universities and partners in Estonia contributed to the SODI analysis. Director Marianne Henriksen of Skatteetaten called the criticism constructive, urging the state to adopt the report’s recommendations. Without a unified strategy, Norway risks widening the digital divide while organized crime exploits the fragile eID ecosystem.