This project is developed according to guidelines from the University of Tartu course LTAT.05.005 Software Project (Tarkvaraprojekt).
The mobile authentication application project is intended for software developers, who are building services (e.g. web applications and mobile applications) that require user authentication, owners (both individuals and organizations) or potential owners of these services and anyone else who for various reasons might be interested in Estonian ID card related topics and the upcoming changes that make it possible to use the ID card in new ways. The mobile authentication application project is a proof of concept that aims to demonstrate how users who have access to a valid Estonian ID card with NFC interface (issued since 2018) can in the future expect to authenticate themselves to services that require user authentication. Unlike the existing Estonian ID card system that requires the user to have an access to a web browser and a card reader in order to use the ID card for authentication, which makes it unsuitable for mobile devices such as smartphones, the mobile authentication application project takes advantage of the currently unutilized NFC interface of the newer Estonian ID cards; thus our project demonstrates how NFC-equipped mobile devices can be used to interact with Estonian ID cards for user authentication purposes in a way that currently is not possible and also highlights the benefits and disadvantages of such approach.