​​Standards, transparency and inclusivity key drivers of digital ID interoperability

At Identity Week 2024, an emergent theme is working together – specifically, digital identity schemes working together. On day one of the conference, several panels at the annual ID conference addressed the question of interoperability, something of a holy grail for digital ID professionals.

Consensus is elusive with a topic as complex as digital identity interoperability, but there is a pervasive belief that getting digital IDs working across the experiential and geographical spectra is one of the keys to widespread adoption. A digital identity that a holder can use across federal and state agencies, travel authorities and even different countries would be, so to speak, the proof in the pudding, providing the frictionless experience that is often sold as among the greatest benefits of digital ID.

That said, the road to success is not straight, nor short.      

In a panel on interoperable digital identities, Ryan Galluzzo, digital identity lead for the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), says achieving interoperability won’t be like flipping a switch. The journey is likely to look more like a game of hopscotch, in which each milestone is its own little leap. But Galluzzo also raises a big question: how do you convey the need for interoperable digital identities?

There is much talk about a “golden use case” that will trigger a wave of adoption that will push interoperability through demand. The first use case being tested by NIST’s National Cybersecurity of Excellence (NCCOE) and its cohort of digital ID providers (Idemia, Mattr, Spruce ID) and other private and public partners (Microsoft, OpenID Foundation, iLabs, Wells Fargo and the Department of Homeland Security among them) is mDLs for financial services. NCCOE’s idea is to take digital ID and run it against real-world use cases in order to find one that sticks.

‘Global means global south,’ says IDSA’s Jeff Reich

But, says Jeff Reich, executive director of the Identity Defined Security Alliance, standards are as much a part of the pie as magic use cases. “Technical standards,” he says, “have to support policy and political objectives.” Reich speaks of “technical diplomacy,” the practice of sharing standards and normalizing them across regions and nations, as a necessity. Reich also emphasizes that, in speaking of global digital ID, “global means global south.” It is there, he says, that there is the greatest need, and therefore it must be a central part of the conversation.

Many of the same points come up in a separate panel on national digital identity. Andrew Black, managing director of ConnectID, notes the importance of factoring in the digital divide in thinking about inclusivity. He also cites interoperable standards as a foundational need in bringing digital identity into the mainstream.

For Jordan Burris, recently promoted to VP of public sector strategy for Socure, the technology itself is the baseline from which interoperability should be measured. Listing technologies that go into the digital ID stew – “AI, biometrics and blockchain, oh my” – Burris believes that there must be more transparency around technical capabilities if truly interoperable digital ID is to be achieved. He notes existing gaps (for instance, someone without a credit score) that digital ID initiatives must be able to fill in if they are to succeed on a broad, inclusive scale.

Hannah Kim, director of Login.gov, sums up the overarching principle driving these conversations. “Identity is a basic need. In an increasingly connected world, without having a digital identity, you’re not being allowed to fully participate in society.”

Now, the big question is how to get it together. The only sure answer is, one step at a time.

Article Topics

connectID  |  digital ID  |  digital inclusion  |  Identity Week  |  IDSA  |  interoperability  |  Login.gov  |  NIST  |  Socure  |  standards