Digital ID & The Refugee Crisis

Air date: September 6, 2022

Host: Dr. Mike Allcott, Director of ApplyProof Partnerships

Engineer/Producer: Chris Ferreira (Sr. Program Manager at the DIACC)

Topic: Digital Identity & The Refugee Crisis

Summary:

In this episode of DIACC's Digital ID & Me podcast series, we discuss how digital identity can help to improve the lives of those who've been displaced during times of crisis.

Join host Dr. Mike Allcott, Director of ApplyProof Partnerships, as he discusses this timely topic with the following guests:

Keith David Watenpaugh, Professor & Director of Human Rights Studies, University of California, Davis and Founding Director at Article 26 Backpack Program

• An American historian and theorist of human rights and humanitarianism, Watenpaugh is an expert on genocide, and the role of the refugee and the forcibly displaced human in world history. He is a leader of international efforts to defend the human rights of displaced and refugee university students and scholars, primarily those affected by the wars and civil conflicts in Syria, Central Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe. Watenpaugh is the founding director of the UC Davis Human Rights Studies Program, the first academic unit of its kind in the University of California system. Under his leadership, it has grown to one of the largest programs in the nation encompassing a comprehensive interdisciplinary curriculum of over 20 undergraduate and graduate courses and a vital internship and global learning component. In 2022, 80 UC Davis students majoring in History, English, Political Science, International Relations, and STEM and pre-Med fields graduated with Human Rights Minors. He is directing efforts to create the first Human Rights Studies BA in California.

Jon Payne, Director Business Development, Identity Verification at Entrust

• Jon Payne is Director, Business Development for Entrust's Identity Verification business unit. He joined Entrust in 2021 via the acquisition of WorldReach Software. Jon has more than 25 years' experience in immigration policy and operations, having served as Regional Director, Americas at UKvisas, and as Director of CSC's Global Citizen Services Center of Excellence.

Questions asked:

1. Each guest was asked to introduce themselves and to share why they feel this topic is important to address now.

2. Keith - explain to us what the Article 26 Backpack Program is all about and the problem it solves.

3. Could you tell the audience how your organization’s help resolve some of the challenges in the refugee crisis.

4. With good digital ID design guided by the principles and criteria laid out by DIACC’s Pan-Canadian Trust Framework, in your view, what role can digital ID, or things like digital wallets, play in the refugee crisis? How can they help?

5. Do you have any closing thoughts for our listeners?

Resources referenced in this episode:

• Article 26 Backpack Program
• Entrust
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

About the DIACC

Created as a result of the federal government’s Task Force for the Payments System Review, the Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) is a non-profit coalition of public and private sector leaders who are committed to developing a Canadian digital identification and authentication framework that will secure Canada’s full and secure participation in the global digital economy. To learn more about the DIACC, please visit diacc.ca.

Music: Kesta - Comings and Goings (License)

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