This report analyzes the current state of digital identity in the United States, outlines challenges such as privacy concerns, fragmented systems, and lack of standards, and proposes policy and technology solutions to build a secure, interoperable, and user-friendly national digital identity framework.
Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)
Led by the Digital Benefits Network in partnership with Public Policy Lab, the Digital Doorways research project amplifies the lived experiences of beneficiaries to provide new insights into people’s experiences with digital identity processes and technology in public benefits. This report details the project’s findings, directly highlighting the voices of beneficiaries through videos and photos.
On July 16, members of the Digital Identity Community of practice gathered to learn how peers are gathering beneficiary feedback on their experiences with accounts and proving their identity.
This article advises government agencies to prioritize cybersecurity methods over AI-driven approaches when combating identity fraud in benefits programs, highlighting potential risks that automated systems pose to legitimate applicants.
In February 2023, the Digital Benefits Network at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation released a dataset documenting authentication and identity verification requirements that unemployment insurance (UI) applicants encounter across the United States. This resource outlines high-level observations from the data and more information about the research process.
This page includes data and observations about account creation and identity proofing steps specifically for online applications that include MAGI Medicaid.
This resource provides updated draft digital identity guidelines for identity proofing, authentication, and federation, aiming to improve security, privacy, usability, and equity in digital identity systems.
Digital IDs can improve convenience, but they risk surveillance, data misuse, and exclusion if not designed with privacy, security, and accessibility safeguards.
Led by the Digital Benefits Network in partnership with Public Policy Lab, the Digital Doorways research project amplifies the lived experiences of beneficiaries to provides new insights into people’s experiences with digital identity processes and technology in public benefits. This executive summary gives an overview of the project’s findings.
