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Digital identities are supplementing and supplanting traditional physical identity cards. Customers, consumers of services, law enforcement, vendors, suppliers, and businesses may require a method of verifying a person via mobile device. This is not widely feasible due to the various, numerous and different technical implementations currently in place.
The public comment period for this draft project description is now open through March 31, 2023.
Comments can also be submitted to mdl-nccoe@nist.gov using the template. Please use “NCCoE mDL Project Comment” in the subject line.
Over the last two decades, mobile devices have become a commodity technology with users of all economic backgrounds and ages across the globe. These devices have become convenient platforms for many uses, including ordering a ride, making payments, checking-in to a flight, accessing the gym, storing concert tickets, etc. More recently, demand has surfaced to use the mobile devices to replace physical identification cards such as government issued driver’s licenses with a digital equivalent. Standards for new digital credentials are emerging that can support both greater individual control of identity attributes and immediate validation with issuing sources. This provides the potential for both improved usability and convenience for the end user and stronger assurance in identity for organizations. The advent of international standard ISO/IEC 18013-5, use of mobile driver’s licenses (mDL) in attended mode, and ISO/IEC 18013-7, use of mDLs in unattended (online) mode, are a digital credential model that shows promise.
The NCCoE, in cooperation with industry, government agencies, and academic institutions, will study, evaluate, implement, and test interoperability and security claims of the international standards, ISO/IEC 18013-5 (published) and ISO/IEC 18013-7 (currently a working draft), and the ecosystem surrounding these standards.
The goal of this project is to define and facilitate a reference architecture(s) for digital identities that protects privacy, is implemented in a secure way, enables equity, widely adoptable, and easy to use.
A Community of Interest (COI) is a group of professionals and advisors who share business insights, technical expertise, challenges, and perspectives to guide NCCoE projects. COIs often include experts, innovators, and everyday users of cybersecurity and privacy technologies. Share your expertise and consider becoming a member of this project's COI.
