DHS Remote Identity Validation demonstration details revealed ahead of first deadline

The first deadline to participate in U.S. government testing of remote identity validation technologies is approaching, and the organizing agency is sharing details on the project to help technology vendors and developers prepare.

The Maryland Test Facility will be the site of the 2023 Remote Identity Validation Tech Demonstration (RIVTD), operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate.

A technical clarification webinar was hosted by DHS S&T Biometric and Identity Technology Center Senior Advisor Arun Vemury.

The 2023 demonstration will focus on U.S. ID documents, like driver’s licenses.

DHS is inviting the participation of firms providing technology for any portion of the remote identity validation process.

The government is looking to collaborate with technology developers “to understand how the technologies works, how we can better evaluate and specify requirements, understand the performance of these technologies,” and how they can support federal stakeholders, Vemury said in the webinar.

The demonstration is divided into discreet tracks based on the different steps in the process. Track 1 is dedicated to identity validation, Track 2 is for one-to-one biometric verification, and Track 3 is focused on liveness and PAD.

Cooperative research and development agreements will be put in place to facilitate information sharing. Insights may be shared publicly, with vendor participants anonymized, as in MdTF’s Biometric Technology Rallies. These agreements can also be made with international vendors, allowing them to participation.

Vemury provided further details on how the collaboration works, for instance if a potential customer inquires about a particular anonymized vendor.

While not a certification or qualification program, RIVTD could contribute to their establishment in the future.

Yevgeniy Sirotin then delved into how Track 1 will operate. The demonstration will use document authentication guidelines from NIST SP 800-63A. High-quality images of ID documents will be provided by DHS, and a validity outcome required. Technology providers may also provide a validity score as a confidence rating, which is encouraged, and validity properties.

The requirements for submitting to the API are outlined by Sirotin, and assessment details. The document false accept rate will be calculated, but is not likely to be shared, even anonymously.

In addition to encouraging applications for participation, Sirotin noted that information and questions gathered from those applications may help to shape the Track 1 demonstration.

Vemury and Sirotin took a substantial volume of questions from interested parties. These highlighted the potential value of the demonstration for technology providers looking for partners, and included additional details on interaction between participants and DHS S&T and what kind of information from the demonstration will be shared.

The deadline to apply for the first track is February 15. Selected vendors will be notified a month later. Deadlines for the other tracks, which will also be held in 2023, will be announced soon.

Article Topics

biometric testing  |  DHS  |  digital ID  |  document verification  |  Maryland Test Facility (MdTF)  |  Remote Identity Validation Technology Demonstration (RIVTD)  |  remote verification