In December 2022, the Better Identity Coalition released a set of policy recommendations for all 50 U.S. state government officials focused on “ways governments can improve the privacy and security of digital identity solutions”. The report, Better Identity in America: A Blueprint for State Policymakers, outlines the BIC’s vision of how government officials should respond to the push for digital identity by groups like the BIC and its partners.
The report calls on state officials to “overcome fear, uncertainty and doubt” regarding “ID innovations” which “get the most residents in digital ID programs”. The BIC cites mobile driver’s license programs as one such innovation which is helping fuel the push towards digital identity. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators defines mobile driver’s licenses as “a driver’s license that is provisioned to a mobile device with the capability to be updated in real time” and believes they are the “future of licensing and proof of identity”.
When it comes to controversial identity technology like facial recognition, the report does not support an outright ban, but instead calls for the industry to “follow National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidance on digital identity that are already required for federal agencies”.
The BIC report also calls on government officials to “ensure that programs created to support marginalized populations get the same attention as the driver’s license effort”.
Read more: Who is the Better Identity Coalition?
