Panel calls for national ID vetting standards
28 October, 2009
category: Digital ID, Government
The Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Management Standards Panel (IDSP) released a report calling for the development of an American National Standard on identity verification as a tool to help combat terrorism and identity theft. The report calls for national standards to verify the identity of individuals before being issued identification documents.
The report were driven by recognized vulnerabilities in the issuance of breeder documents, such as birth certificates and Social Security numbers, used to prove identity. The problem is that most agencies go the extra step and verify the information present.
Administered by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the IDSP is a partnership between the private and public sector with the goal of reducing the threat of identity theft and fraud.
As a tool for fraud prevention, the IDSP workshop recommended that guidelines on identity verification should be developed with a view toward the eventual development of an American National Standard. The primary end users for such guidance would be agencies involved in the issuance of source credentials, including state vital statistics offices, state motor vehicles offices, and the Social Security Administration. However, the guidance could have broader application to other organizations that need a robust identity vetting process.
A project plan was developed and a team formed to take this work forward under the leadership of the North American Security Products Organization (NASPO), an ANSI-accredited standards developer.
The report cites benefits of identity verification guidelines to include reducing waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs; limiting underage access to alcohol, tobacco, or other age-limited products and services; and reducing or eliminating criminals’ ability to evade law enforcement through the use of fraudulent identities. They will also enhance the security and credibility of government and commercial credentials issued downstream, such as public and private-sector employment identification cards, U.S. passports, Medicare/Medicaid cards, and credit/charge cards.