The rapid rise of online services over the past few years has underscored the need for reliable, equitable, secure, and privacy-protective digital identity solutions. In its latest effort to support digital identity risk management, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released updated guidance on a wide range of methods people use to prove their identity, from digital wallets and passkeys to physical IDs. The agency is seeking public comments on the draft guidelines through October 7, 2024.
Digital and Physical IDs: Why Identification Safety Matters
As proving your identity is often a required step to access services from federal agencies, identity management is critical, and fraudulent claims can be costly to both organizations and individuals. NIST’s latest guidance expands on how agencies can maintain access to services for people using more traditional forms of identification, and accommodate more novel methods like digital credentials.
The draft Digital Identity Guidelines (NIST Special Publication [SP] 800-63 Revision 4 and its companion publications, SPs 800-63A, 800-63B and 800-63C) have been updated to reflect “robust feedback” that NIST received in 2023. As part of a four-month-long comment period and yearlong period of external engagement, NIST’s team of face recognition and analysis experts were also consulted to refine guidance on using biometrics to identify a person through a face image.
The document expands on passkeys, which allow users to save a single passkey on multiple devices, and user-controlled wallets, which can securely store payment information, in addition to other items such as vouchers, tickets, and digital IDs, including driver’s licenses.
“Today’s draft revision from NIST highlights the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to strengthening anti-fraud controls while ensuring broad and equitable access to digital services,” said Jason Miller, deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget. “By incorporating feedback from private industry, federal agencies, privacy and civil rights advocacy groups, and members of the public, NIST has developed strong and fair draft guidelines that, when finalized, will help federal agencies better defend against evolving threats while providing critical benefits and services to the American people, particularly those that need them most.”
The guidance is NIST’s latest work to support safer digital identity use. In June, NIST announced the launch of a collaborative project aimed at adapting NIST’s digital identity guidelines to support public benefits programs, such as those designed to help beneficiaries pay for food, housing, medical, and other basic living expenses.
NIST is accepting public comments on the suite of publications at [email protected] until October 7, 2024. Learn more in the NIST news release.
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