A new bipartisan House bill would enable federal agencies to collaboratively revamp the security infrastructure that secures Americans’ digital identifies online, seeking to modernize digital ID verification. The bill, called the Improving Digital Identity Act, was introduced this week by a number of Representatives from both sides of the aisle. The legislation proposes a multi-faceted approach to update a lagging verification system, according to the Representatives. One sponsor stated that Covid-19 has exacerbated Americans’ online activity for day-to-day tasks, such as banking, shopping, and communicating with doctors, making it imperative that change occurs when it comes to safeguards to protect against identity theft and fraud.
Representative Foster asserts that Americans should have confidence in their online transactions and the peace of mind that the government is protecting sensitive information from reaching the wrong hands, leading to identity theft and fraud. According to the legislation’s text, more than 164 million consumer records containing personally identifiable information were breached in 2019. This incident has pushed the legislators to call for solutions that address the inadequacies of existing digital identity solutions that do not protect the privacy and security of American consumers. If passed, the bill would require the Executive Office of the president to form and maintain a new task force that focuses on improving digital identity security.
Read More: House Bill Would Require Government to Drastically Modernize Digital ID Verification
