DHS Taps Six Companies to Join Digital ID Privacy Initiative

Six companies are joining the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s effort to develop privacy-focused solutions that would be integrated into equipment that validate digital versions of identification cards used for travel and immigration.

On Monday, DHS announced that Credence ID is among the vendors working on the Privacy Preserving Digital Credential Wallets and Verifiers contract valued at $1.7 million. Credence ID received a $199,140 contract to extend the company’s standards-based identity verification and authentication solutions to existing hardware readers, DHS said.

The other companies joining Credence ID for the digital wallet initiative are Hushmesh, Netis, SpruceID, Procivis and Ubiqu.

Jared Goodwin, acting chief program management and data division for service center operations at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said that with more individuals using digital wallets, the digital wallet contract would allow the USCIS to meet customer expectations of convenience, privacy and security when using a digital ID.

The Transportation Security Administration has been allowing Americans to use digital IDs for a faster travel experience. Among the technologies the agency has adopted are facial recognition technology and eligible digital ID QR codes.