What is PVID?

In order to fight against document and identity fraud, the French National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI) has published a text that provides a framework for remote identity verification processes. 

This standard is called PVID - Prestataires de Vérification d'Identité à Distance - and it covers identity verification operations on the Internet which are necessary in a number of cases such as the electronic signature of a commercial contract or the sending of a registered letter online. This system helps to fight against human errors (such as sending to the wrong recipients) but above all against document and identity fraud. With the digitalisation of administrative processes, these two types of fraud have grown dramatically in recent years.

In the PVID, the ANSSI details the compliance procedures for the various remote identification services and sets up two levels of guarantee: the substantial level and the high level.

• The substantial level: this level guarantees a substantial reduction in the risk of identity theft or alteration. It certifies that the service in question is sufficiently reliable to completely replace a physical face-to-face meeting that allows, upon presentation of a supporting document, access to a public or private service. In other words, the service in question must be able to withstand a moderate potential attack.
  

• The high level: this is the highest level of guarantee of a relationship between two parties. It prevents any risk of usurpation or alteration of identity. The service concerned guarantees total equivalence in terms of reliability with a physical face-to-face meeting with an administrative authority in the process of issuing an identity document. It must resist a high potential attack.
  

For more information on PVID, please see our blog post.