NIST Drafts Revised Guidelines for Digital Identification in Federal Systems

fliptop writes:

The draft publication features updates intended to help fight online crime, preserve privacy and promote equity and usability:

The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has drafted updated guidelines to help the nation combat fraud and cybercrime while fostering equity and preserving fundamental human rights. The guidelines support risk-informed management of people's personas online - their "digital identities" - often required to engage in everyday digital transactions from banking to ordering groceries.

"These guidelines are intended to help organizations manage risks related to digital identity and get the right services to the right people while preventing fraud, preserving privacy, fostering equity and delivering high-quality, usable services to all," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio. "We are actively seeking feedback not only from technical specialists, but also from advocacy and community engagement groups that have insight into the potential impacts these technologies can have on members of underserved communities and marginalized groups."

[...] NIST is accepting comments on the multivolume draft until March 24, 2023. NIST will host a virtual workshop on Jan. 12, 2023, to provide details on the major changes to the guidelines and the comment process. Interested parties can register online to attend. This will be the first step in a robust engagement process to gain feedback from public and private sector organizations, technology and professional services providers, academia, civil society, advocacy groups and many others on how to improve the draft guidance and achieve a more competitive, secure, private and inclusive identity ecosystem. Among several topics that NIST intends to address, a significant portion of the organization's engagement efforts will be dedicated to exploring emerging and alternative methods of identity verification, including technologies that do not rely upon facial recognition.

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