The country was set to begin phasing out the old ID cards in October, but the introduction of relevant technologies from abroad has been derailed by the virus outbreak, said the Ministry of the Interior (MOI).
According to the MOI, currently, Taiwan lacks the anti-counterfeit expertise required for the digital ID. The equipment for manufacturing the eID needs to be imported and the authorities were planning to retrieve the first batch of sample cards in April, but these plans have been disrupted by the spread of COVID-19.
Addressing public concerns over information security, the MOI stressed that residents would be allowed to select an eID design without the Citizen Digital Certificate feature or have it deactivated and revoked.
If residents choose to the Citizen Digital Certificate feature, they can choose to suspend or reactivate it in the future. People can apply for an additional Citizen Digital Certificate if they need it. Various options are provided for citizens to choose for themselves.
