Digital Identity Community of Practice
The Digital Benefits Network (DBN) at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University works with people who administer, deliver, use, and influence public benefits — with a goal of supporting government to ensure public benefits technology is accessible, effective, and equitable — and ultimately increase economic opportunity.
We value the experience and expertise from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and sectors. We are focused on cross-benefit approaches for key programs including: food and nutrition (SNAP, WIC), health (Medicaid/CHIP), cash assistance (TANF, basic income), and unemployment insurance (UI).
The DBN convenes focused topical communities of practice (CoP) that inspire what’s possible in benefits delivery and drive towards testing new ideas, developing standards, and structured learning opportunities.
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Digital Identity Community of Practice
Welcome! This Community of Practice is for stakeholders across sectors and benefits programs whose work is related to public benefits and/or digital identity.
Convened by the DBN, the mission of this Community of Practice is to promote the delivery of public benefits to all eligible individuals, including vulnerable populations by informing how digital identity approaches should be used in public benefits delivery.
We build towards our mission by bringing together stakeholders with varying levels of familiarity with digital identity from across state, local, tribal and territorial government; federal government; direct service providers; advocacy organizations; academia; and industry to foster shared learning, dialogue, and collaboration.
Why Join the Community?
- Explore digital identity challenges in public benefits administration and delivery
- Cultivate shared understanding of vulnerabilities and needs across benefits programs
- Help document and disseminate promising practices, and prioritize areas where new research is needed
- Define, articulate, and champion resources that enable public benefits practitioners to comprehensively approach digital identity
- Participate in collaborative projects to improve the use of digital identity in public benefits delivery
Looking Ahead
We are excited for the community of practice to address urgent, current challenges related to digital identity in public benefits delivery. However, we also hope to foster spaces for ongoing learning about new technologies (e.g., digital credentials, biometrics, etc) and discussion about the future of digital identity in government services, based on the interest of community members.
Why a Community of Practice?
Building on our research on digital identity, we believe that a community of practice meets needs in the broader ecosystem by:
- Creating shared learning spaces
- Fostering opportunities for cross-program and cross-sector knowledge sharing
- Helping to identify shared digital identity challenges across public benefits
DBN’s Work on Digital Identity
The Digital Benefits Network has been researching digital identity in public benefits since late 2022. When we talk about digital identity, we’re talking about how we can tell someone else (sometimes a service provider, like a government agency) about ourselves online. People across the U.S. use online systems to access government benefits programs. How government agencies design and implement online log-in systems and requirements to verify a person’s identity online shapes how residents can access services, which is an important equity issue, and also impacts government staff workload. For government, approaching digital identity involves balancing multiple priorities around access, privacy, and data security.
Particularly in the context of public benefits delivery, prioritizing access is essential because:
- Individuals’ health and livelihood are often dependent on timely access to public benefits programs
- Services can be critical to financial health and inclusion
- Public benefits are often a basic right afforded to residents and citizens
At the same time, benefits administering agencies must also address security challenges because:
- The data collected, maintained, and made available is often highly sensitive and personal
- Benefits systems may be the target of sophisticated attacks
- For cash-equivalent programs, money can be stolen from government systems
Want to Learn More?
- Check out our primer “What is Digital Identity?” where we introduce the term and key concepts like identity proofing and authentication, and discuss developments in the U.S. and abroad related to digital identity
- Read our primer, “Digital Identity in Public Benefits,” where we describe how identity proofing and authentication show up in public benefits applications and outline equity and security concerns raised by common identity proofing and authentication methods.
- Reference our Digital Identity glossary where we compile and explain definitions for common terms
- Review our landscape research documenting authentication and identity proofing practices in initial online benefits applications
Upcoming Events & Offerings
Digital Identity in Public Benefits Delivery Project
- Participate in our collaborative project with the National Institute of Standards and Technology + the Center for Democracy and Technology, Digital Identity in Public Benefits Delivery
- Learn about the partnership to build resources that empower state benefits administering agencies to make risk-based and human-centered decisions about the use of identity proofing and authentication in public benefits delivery.
- Get involved by filling out this form to receive updates on this project and invitations to future events and engagement opportunities.
Get in touch with us
We always want to hear from organizations and individuals working to improve how digital identity is implemented in public benefits delivery. You can reach us at digID@georgetown.edu.