[December 03, 2014]

ID.me Digital Credentials Now Accepted Across Government Websites

Digital identity verification network ID.me, today announced that the company has been awarded an 18-month contract through the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA (News - Alert)). This contract will allow ID.me to issue its Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) approved digital identity credentials to access government resources and benefits through Connect.Gov.

Connect.Gov, formerly known as the Federal Cloud Credential Exchange (FCCX), is a shared enterprise cloud service launched as part of the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) that will allow individuals to use FICAM-approved private sector credentials to login across government agency websites. Rather than needing to prove their identity with individual agencies and remember multiple usernames and passwords, Connect.Gov allows users to register once with ID.me and use that login to access secure information specific to them.

"As citizens demand the ability to access benefits and resources online, verifying that the data is only seen by the intended audience is critical. To date, government agency identity proofing has typically been done in a silo, with each agency developing and managing its own verification solutions - making it both inefficient and cumbersome for both agencies and end-users," said ID.me Chief Product Officer, Ryan Fox. "The Connect.Gov initiative allows individuals verified through ID.me to utilize one set of digital credentials across a broad network of commercial and public sector resources, which will both reduce the burden placed on agencies and improve the user experience."

ID.me has been participating in the NSTIC Pilot Program since October 2013. The goal of ID.me's pilot was t broaden the network of privacy-enhancing, secure, and interoperable identity credentials across the public and private sectors. As part of establishing a common trust framework to achieve this interoperability, ID.me received FICAM certification at Levels of Assurance 1-3 under the Kantara Trust Framework.

Several federal organizations including the U.S. Department of State, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, General Services Administration, and National Institute of Standards and Technology, have already committed to integrate with Connect.Gov to accept commercially issued credentials. Numerous other agencies are expected to join within the next 18-24 months.

"Previous efforts to create a Single Sign-On environment within the federal government have not been widely adopted by agencies and therefore have not gained traction and adoption amongst end users due to the limited scope of use," Fox said. "With ID.me, users are not just accessing government benefits, but they can use the credential to unlock access to benefits, resources, and discounts at more than 300 commercial Relying Parties, greatly increasing the utility of their digital ID card."

ID.me's digital identity network is designed to empower end-users to control how their personal data is shared with third parties to efficiently complete high-risk transactions or to access exclusive benefits from retailers. Individuals can use their ID.me credentials across the ID.me network, which includes leading brands like Under Armour, Overstock.com, Hershey's, Starbucks, Dell (News - Alert) and more, fulfilling the vision of NSTIC. ID.me's retail partnerships continue to grow daily and predictions calculate that the number of authenticated individuals will exceed one million by the end of 2014.

About ID.me

ID.me is the first digital identity network that allows consumers to prove who they are online while controlling how their information is shared with brands. For participating organizations, ID.me acts as a trusted intermediary, capable of verifying consumer identity and group affiliations in real-time. ID.me does not sell, rent, or loan member information to a third party for any reason. ID.me members retain complete control over how, or if, their information is shared on a case-by-case basis. This allows brands to ensure a consistent customer experience across offline and online channels while reducing costs associated with manual verification. ID.me was a finalist for WSJ Startup of the Year, named one of Entrepreneur Magazine's "100 Brilliant Companies," and ID.me was selected as one of five companies to participate in the President's National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC). Learn more: www.ID.me Twitter (News - Alert): @IDme Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/IDmeinc.

About Connect.Gov

Connect.Gov is a government wide shared service that enables agencies to utilize government approved commercially-issued digital credentials when providing citizen services online with greater security, privacy and efficiency. Connect.Gov is a partnership between the General Services Administration (GSA), United States Postal Service (USPS (News - Alert)), and the Administration's National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC). Learn more at Connect.Gov.

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