[willvarfar]

Generally, yeah, to use the online government and financial services in Sweden need BankID, which is almost always on your mobile phone. You can also use a PC, although that is fading away.

ID cards are also a thing, and in principle every grownup should always be carrying ID although its not like everybody really does when walking around the park etc.

There are paper and in-person alternatives to the online services, but the ease and prevalence of the online services makes those actually relatively efficient. The times I've had to do something in person has all been slick.

I think underneath the key concept is that everyone has a unique ID number and means to prove it's them. 99% of the time that ends up being Mobile BankID.

[username332211]

> Generally, yeah, to use the online government and financial services in Sweden need BankID, which is almost always on your mobile phone.

Can someone explain to me why phones seem to be considered more secure than online communication channels or desktops? The way I see it, it's a computing device you install all sorts of crap on, sourced from all sorts of questionably trustworthy sources (especially as all sort of retail companies have started moving from loyalty cards to apps).

The Estonian solution from the early 2000s - a dedicated identification device, seems far more secure and reasonable than the modern Swedish one. If any bank in my area started offering YubiKey in leu of app authentication, I'd switch to it in a heartbeat.

[lmz]

Because it can be more secure and everyone has one. And it can be made quite hard to tamper with, unlike your average desktop. Consider that apps are sandboxed by default, and hardware secure element key storage should be available. Of course a Yubikey would be better.

[StackRanker3000]

> ID cards are also a thing, and in principle every grownup should always be carrying ID although its not like everybody really does when walking around the park etc.

Tangential: I may be misinterpreting what you mean by ”should”, but no one is required by law or regulation to carry identification on them in any Nordic country (except for in certain circumstances, like while operating a vehicle that requires a license).

If the police have a valid reason to ascertain your identity as part of performing their duties, and you refuse to tell them your name, date of birth and address, or they have reason not to believe you, they can detain you until your identity has been confirmed. An id card can save you that hassle.

So if you’re just saying that it’s a good idea to always bring your id with you, then sure.