GAITHERSBURG, Md. — When we need to show proof of identity, we might reach for our driver’s license — or perhaps, sooner than many of us imagine, we may opt for a digital credential stored on a smartphone. To ensure we can use both novel and time-tested methods to prove our identities securely when accessing essential services, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its draft digital identity guidance.
The draft Digital Identity Guidelines (NIST Special Publication [SP] 800-63 Revision 4 and its companion publications SPs 800-63A, 800-63B and 800-63C) have been updated to reflect the robust feedback that NIST received in 2023 as part of a four-month-long comment period and yearlong period of external engagement.