Yesterday ID2020 declared that UK-based ZAKA was only the third digital identity organization to gain ID2020 certification. ZAKA has applications in the developing world, however, also a COVID-19 solution. The ID2020 Alliance is supported by big names like  Microsoft, Accenture, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Mastercard as well as non-profits, including Kiva, Mercy Corps, and Gavi, the Vaccines Alliance. Its manifesto confirms that over a billion people can’t verify their identity and, as a result, are incapable of accessing basic services.

ID2020 revealed its certification plan last year, and ZAKA is just the third to gain the mark of a “good ID” after Kiva Protocol, and Gravity was given the same recognition in March. To qualify for certification, the solution provider has to subscribe to ID2020’s principles of privacy, portability, persistence, and user control. A technical committee then vets the application against a list of functional necessities that ID2020 points to as its ‘Technical Requirements. ‘ Receipt certification doesn’t indicate the technology has been audited at a technical level. Rather, the review is at a functional level.

The demands incorporate a list of 38 criteria, like the ability to operate offline, avoid restricting use to particular devices like smartphones, and a trusted custodian for key recovery. “The rigorous evaluation of our company by ID2020 should give prospective partners confidence that our solution is meeting global standards and advancing the vital mission of bringing ‘good ID’ to all,” said ZAKA CEO and Co-Founder Nick Mason in a statement.

ZAKA’s mission is “to ensure that any person, with any phone, can access any service, at any time,” by providing inclusive digital identity. ID2020 attributed to an application produced by ZAKA to assist refugees with verifiable digital identities in Turkey. The project is in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It also has a solution and presence in Rwanda.

However, right now, COVID-19 applications are the pressing need. ZAKA has a NewNorm solution that strives to offer privacy-compliant applications for businesses. It involves a module for occupancy monitoring to scan a QR code at the entry and exit of buildings. If someone tests positive in the building, anonymous users obtain a notification. So far, it’s being utilized by two New York University departments. There’s a huge list of COVID-19 solutions. Some of the highest-profile is the COVID Credentials Initiative, one from the International Chamber of Commerce and GE Aviation targeting the travel sector.