Recommendation

The administration and Congress should require the federal government to offer an electronic identification to U.S. residents who desire one.

Details

Many nations are investing in electronic ID (e-ID) systems that allow individuals to prove their identities, or attributes about their identities, to information systems. Without federal action, this market will remain stagnant in the United States, which will inhibit people from being able to complete transactions entirely online, such as opening up a bank account. The government should spur the supply of e-IDs by directing a federal agency to offer them to U.S. residents for a reasonable fee. Both the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security have systems and processes in place that could be adapted to issue e-IDs. They could be offered as standalone products, such as smartcards or software certificates for mobile phones, or on existing identification documents, such as passports.

Keep reading:

▪ Daniel Castro, “Explaining International IT Application Leadership: Electronic Identification Systems” (ITIF, September 2011), https://itif.org/publications/2011/09/15/explaining-international-it-application-leadership-electronic-identification.