US federal government websites now offering face recognition to login

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Login.gov will now allow users to take a selfie to match with a government-approved ID

facial recognition
(Image credit: Shutterstock / HQuality)

Login.gov, a secure sign-in and identity verification service for US government services, has announced the rollout of facial recognition services to streamline access.

After months of testing and a delay in 2023, users will now be able to verify their identity using a ‘proven facial matching technology’ approved by the General Services Administration, which will follow the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and will rely on ‘best-in-class facial matching algorithms’,

“Proving your identity is a critical step in receiving many government benefits and services, and we want to ensure we are making that as easy and secure as possible for members of the public, while protecting against identity theft and fraud,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan.

Meeting standards

This comes a year after the agency was found to have misled agency customers about meeting the NIST standards for identity verification. The Inspector General found the GSA was using a third party to compare identification cards instead of the required physical or biometric comparisons, such as fingerprints or facial recognition.

“We’re glad that we’ve been able to do this while ensuring that users continue to have multiple secure pathways to verify their identity, whether that is in-person or remote.” Confirmed Hannah Kim, Director of Login.gov.

“Looking ahead, we will continue to uphold our values of equity, privacy, and transparency by incorporating best-in-class technology and learning from academic and user research.”

The current identity verification options will still exist, and agencies will be given the choice to require this new method, where users will have to take a selfie which is then matched to a photo ID.

Users will still have the option of in-person verification at US Postal Service locations, a method that remains incredibly useful in preventing fraud across the country.

Via Federal News Network

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Ellen Jennings-Trace
Ellen Jennings-Trace
Staff Writer

Ellen has been writing for almost four years, with a focus on post-COVID policy whilst studying for BA Politics and International Relations at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MA in Political Communication. Before joining TechRadar Pro as a Junior Writer, she worked for Future Publishing’s MVC content team, working with merchants and retailers to upload content.