Auðkenna

Auðkenna is an Icelandic verb meaning to identify or authenticate a person or thing, and to verify a claimed identity. In everyday use it can refer to recognizing someone or confirming who they claim to be, as well as to confirming the authenticity of a document or credential. The verb is used transitively and, in reflexive form, to indicate that a person proves their own identity (að auðkenna sig).

In administrative, legal, and technological contexts, auðkenning refers to the process of identity verification. The term rafræn auðkenning denotes electronic identification, commonly used to access online services, sign documents, or interact with government portals and financial institutions. Identity verification may rely on credentials such as passwords, smart cards, or digital certificates issued by trusted authorities.

Related terms include auðkenni, the identity or credential itself, and auðkenning, the act or process of authentication. The word is standard in Icelandic IT and government language and is widely understood in everyday speech when discussing online security or identity.