Department of Homeland Security: DHS S&T announces new remote biometric identity validation rally

The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), in collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Homeland Security Investigations Forensic Laboratory, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has announced the new Remote Identity Validation Rally (RIVR). The initiative is set to run throughout 2025 and aims to challenge industry leaders to develop biometric technologies that effectively combat identity fraud in various digital interactions. "The new evaluation series challenges industry to deliver secure, accurate, and user-friendly remote identity validation technologies to combat identity fraud when users apply for government services, open bank accounts or verify social media accounts," DHS S&T said. RIVR represents a significant step forward in enhancing the security and reliability of remote identity validation technologies. By fostering collaboration between government agencies and industry leaders, DHS said the initiative aims to address the challenges of identity fraud in an increasingly digital world. As the demand for secure online services continues to grow, efforts like RIVR will be crucial for ensuring that identity validation technologies are up to the task, providing both security and convenience for users. RIVR builds upon the insights gained from the Remote Identity Validation Technology Demonstration (RIVTD) program that was conducted in 2024. RIVTD evaluated the performance of existing remote identity validation technologies and revealed significant variations among commercially available products. The assessment underscored the need for more robust and standardized solutions in the field. Consequently, S&T established stringent benchmarks for RIVR and has encouraged the development of secure, accurate, and user-friendly technologies. Arun Vemury, DHS S&T Senior Advisor for Biometric and Identity Technologies, emphasized the importance of the initiative, stating that as the demand for secure online services grows, S&T remains committed to collaborating with innovative technology developers to enhance security and improve user experiences. RIVR aims to foster innovation, incentivize competition, and accelerate progress in making these technologies more secure and reliable against evolving threats. "As demand for secure, efficient access to online government and commercial services grows, S&T remains committed to working with innovative technology developers to advance remote identity validation technologies that enhance security and improve the user experience," Vemury said. "Through the RIVR, we will partner with industry to foster innovation, incentivize competition, and accelerate progress in making these technologies more secure and reliable against evolving threats." S&T said it and "its partners will evaluate the ability of systems to authenticate identity documents, assess the 'liveness"' of selfie photos, and evaluate identity verification using images taken with smartphones and similar devices." This comprehensive approach addresses the multifaceted challenges of remote identity validation. Jason Lim, TSA Identity Management Capability Manager, highlighted the significance of the effort, noting that as digital identities - including mobile driver's licenses (mDLs) - become more prevalent, ensuring their trustworthiness, security, and privacy is essential. "For many years, we have been relying on S&T's scientifically rigorous and independent testing of our identity technology and processes," Lim said. "TSA is very pleased to once again partner with S&T on the continuation and expansion of this effort to ensure that remotely enrolled digital identities meet our threshold of trust, security, and privacy as the use of digital IDs, including mobile driver's license, continues to expand." "In the past year, we've seen tremendous engagement from the identity and biometrics technology industry and have evaluated approximately 50 commercial solutions," Vemury said. "It is vital that we understand the capabilities of these technologies, therefore NIST is enthusiastic to contribute to this important ongoing effort through robust technology evaluations and standardized metrics," added NIST Biometrics Evaluator Patrick Grother. RIVTD provided valuable insights into the current state of remote identity validation technologies. The demonstration was conducted in three tracks which addressed critical components of the remote identity validation process, providing a structured framework for evaluation. Track 1 focused on assessing the validity of identity documents, such as U.S. state-issued driver's licenses. Track 2 evaluated the ability of systems to match a selfie photo to the photo on the identity document. Track 3 assessed the "liveness" of the selfie photograph, determining whether the image was captured from a live person or a spoof. The results of RIVTD highlighted both the potential and the challenges within the industry. For instance, in Track 2, which focused on matching selfies to ID photos, 16 vendors participated, but only ten demonstrated viable performance across all assessed metrics. HyperVerge distinguished itself by meeting all benchmarks in this track, achieving an error rate below one percent. This accomplishment underscores the variability in performance among existing solutions and the need for continued advancement in the field. Similarly, in Track 3, which evaluated liveness detection capabilities, IDEMIA Public Security, ID R&D and Paravision reporting strong evaluations. These findings highlighted the importance of developing technologies that are effective, equitable, and capable of performing consistently across various populations, DHS said. RIVR seeks to build upon these findings by setting higher benchmarks and encouraging the development of technologies that can withstand sophisticated and rapidly evolving threats. The initiative also aims to inform efforts to standardize and certify technologies that are effective against sophisticated attacks. By objectively measuring performance against realistic threats, RIVR will provide valuable data to both commercial and government entities, aiding in the selection and implementation of effective identity validation solutions. RIVR will be conducted at the Maryland Test Facility (MdTF) in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. MdTF is a reconfigurable space that was designed for laboratory evaluations and operational scenario testing. MdTF has a history of supporting DHS initiatives, including previous biometric technology evaluations. The facility's capabilities allow for the simulation of real-world conditions, providing a rigorous testing environment for participating technologies. Technology developers specializing in remote identity validation are encouraged to participate in RIVR. The initial focus will be on testing systems that match selfies to identity documents and determine the authenticity of these documents. Applications for new participants are due by April 11, 2025. An informational webinar is scheduled for March 12, 2025, to provide further details to interested organizations.