US studies possible accessibility hurdles for remote ID verification

The U.S. Government Services Administration, which is responsible for the nation’s problematic single sign-in program, is studying how to make biometric identity verification systems work better for minority and marginalized populations.

Companies participating in the research include Jumio, LexisNexis, Socure, Incode and TransUnion. The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s rules for remote one-to-one ID proofing – SP 800-63-3A – set the requirements the GSA must meet.

The question is whether any demographic factors interfere with proofing. Data will be handled according to the GSA’s rules for collecting biometric information.

There’s no heavy lifting for participants. People accepted for the study are asked to take a picture of their ID and a selfie, repeating that process five times. They volunteer some additional personal data and then choose how they want to receive $25 in compensation.

GSA officials want all digital government identity verification processes to work equally well for all segments of the population in order to reduce fraud and operational costs and make it as easy as possible for residents to work with the government.

The private-sector partners will judge each participant’s success in verifying their biometric data and send the results to the GSA.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  GSA  |  Incode  |  Jumio  |  LexisNexis  |  remote verification  |  selfie biometrics  |  Socure  |  TransUnion