Aventuras en el gobierno electrónico

I’ve been trying out Spain’s eID system. The process is horrendously complex, even for someone with a PhD in the area who has researched the topic for several decades ? I wonder what the take-up is ?

Also, it seems the Spanish Mint (one of the main certificate providers) would rather tell people to switch off macOS security protections against using unsigned software, than sign its key generation app ?

How can a key generation app take 140.3MB?! I’m still roaming here! ?

Then, I eventually figured out I had to enable cross-site tracking in Safari and switch off my additional cookie-blocker ? Of course, the site also contained Google trackers ?

I then had to go to a local government office so they could check my passport and foreigner ID certificate. I had to wait 13 days for an appointment I could make! But then it was a relatively painless process, even if I had to try downloading the resulting public key certificate several times before it worked. Now even my Apple Mail client is signing messages with my foreigner ID number ? (It is useful to be able to securely e-mail the government, although I don’t know if they are using this feature. But I don’t want this ID number — which is in my public key certificate — going to anyone else!)

Finally, I could log in to the Spanish and Canarian tax agency websites! But the (I thought) straightforward process I wanted to follow is apparently so complex I have given up and asked an accountant to do it ??‍♂️

The Las Palmas council @AyuntamientoLPA website is better. After installing yet more software ? (is it REALLY necessary to digitally sign every last step, including acknowledging new messages?), the virtual assistant helped me initiate the other simple process I wanted ?? Of course, that document-signing software installation package wasn’t signed itself.

At least this tax calculation app (from @GobiernoCan) is “secure” ? (I’m trying to run it on my own computer.)