You want to be sure about who you are doing business with online. And users who log in to your service, must be sure that their data will be handled correctly. All in all, this makes secure and reliable online access to your services essential.
The information you exchange with an online service may be public information or (privacy) sensitive information. The more confidential the information is, the greater the degree of certainty you require about the online identity of the user, and the higher the required level of assurance has to be.
eHerkenning offers four levels of assurance. The higher the level, the greater the degree of certainty about the online identity of your users.
Read more about the various levels of assurance.
Determining the level of assurance
You are free to choose the level of assurance at which you wish to make your services available, online. You may offer a variety of different online services, each of which requires a different level of assurance. The most important question is which level of assurance you should use in what situation.
A level of assurance that is too low can represent risks, for example of fraud. A level of assurance that is too high can form an unnecessary obstacle to the use of your services.
Identify the vulnerability of your new online service. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What type of online service am I offering?
- What legal requirements must this online service meet?
- What type of (personal) data are exchanged?
- What is the potential harm that can be caused if the data or the service are abused?
- Are there other factors that increase or reduce the level of risk?
For advice on the levels of assurance, contact one of the approved eHerkenning brokers.
Using the support tool, your architects, information protection officers, legal specialists and directors can select the appropriate level of assurance for digital services.
Please note! In the future, based on the Digital Government Act and the underlying ministerial orders, criteria will also be imposed for the levels of assurance.
The handbook contains a wealth of information on conducting a risk analysis and gives examples of services and the accompanying levels of assurance.