Identity Council
The Identity Council provides leadership and coordination and serves as focal point for Alliance‘s identity and identity related efforts leveraging embedded chip technology and privacy- and security-enhancing software. Directly and in partnership with other Secure Technology Alliance councils, the Identity Council supports a spectrum of physical and logical use cases and applications, form factors, attributes, and authentication and authorization methods. The Council serves to influence standards and best practices, serve as an educational resource, and provide a voice in public policy influencing adoption, implementation, and use.
Key areas of focus for the Identity Council are: identity trust frameworks; digital identity; strong authentication; authorization; and biometrics.
Download description of Council mission, activities and membership.
Identity Council Activities
The Council activities and projects include raising awareness and providing thought leadership and education on real-world issues of implementing and operating identity and identity authentication and authorization systems. The Identity Council also explores appropriate policies, procedures and technologies for the implementation of needed identity solutions. The Council works closely with other Alliance councils to support enhanced value and user experience when implementing embedded chip and other security and privacy enhancing technologies. Activities include:
- Developing identity-related educational resources for the public and private sectors to inform buyers and requirement setters and promote market adoption and expansion
- Promoting a person-centric view of identity management supporting both central identity management and the interoperability of systems to reduce silos or closed identity environments
- Promoting identity trust frameworks and best practices as potential solutions in the absence of a single government or commercial issuer
- Enhancing and supporting awareness across the identity community to gain synergy of efforts, reduce redundancy and reduce overlap of member resources
- Developing industry positions on key identity issues and offering perspectives on solutions
- Maintaining an active, public voice on identity topics, promoting the positive aspects of identity technology solutions, and responding to misinformation about identity technology
- Advocating the use of biometric technology as an important component of many identity systems
Identity Council Resources and Publications
Mobile Identity
- Identity Council comments on NIST SP 800-63 “Digital Identity Guidelines,” August 2020
- Identity on a Mobile Device, Identity Council webinar series recordings
- Mobile Devices and Identity Applications, Smart Card Alliance Identity Council white paper, September 2012
- The Mobile Driver’s License (mDL) and Ecosystem, Secure Technology Alliance Identity Council white paper, March 2020
- The Mobile Driver’s License and Ecosystem Webinar Series
- Secure Technology Alliance mDLConnection.com information portal
- Secure Technology Alliance Mobile Driver’s License Initiative
- Using Mobile Devices for Physical Access Control, Access Control Council and Identity Council white paper, May 2021
Identity Management
- Assurance Levels Overview and Recommendations, Smart Card Alliance Identity Council position paper, March 2010
- FICAM in Brief: A Smart Card Alliance Summary of the Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) Roadmap and Implementation Guidance, Smart Card Alliance Identity Council and Physical Access Council summary, May 2010
- Identifiers and Authentication – Smart Credential Choices to Protect Digital Identity, Smart Card Alliance Identity Council position paper, September 2009
- Identity Management in Healthcare, Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council webinar, September 22, 2009
- Identity Management Systems, Smart Cards and Privacy
- Smart Card Technology and the FIDO Protocols, Smart Card Alliance Identity Council white paper, April 2016
Identity Management in Healthcare
- Effective Healthcare Identity Management: A Necessary First Step for Improving U.S. Healthcare Information Systems – A Smart Card Alliance Brief for Government Policy Makers and Other Stakeholders, Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council and Identity Council brief, March 2009
- Healthcare Identity Management: The Foundation for a Secure and Trusted National Health Information Network, Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council and Identity Council brief, September 2009
- Medical Identity Theft in Healthcare, Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council brief, March 2010
- Medical Identity Theft, Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council webinar, June 8, 2010
- Smart Card Technology in Healthcare: Frequently Asked Questions, Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council and Identity Council document, December 2013
NSTIC
- Smart Card Technology and NSTIC, Smart Card Alliance white paper, June 2013
Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Credentials and FIPS 201
- Personal Identity Verification Interoperability (PIV-I) for Non-Federal Issuers: Trusted Identities for Citizens across States, Counties, Cities and Businesses, Physical Access Council and Identity Council white paper, February 2011
- PIV-I for Non-Federal Issuers Webinar, NASCIO and Smart Card Alliance webinar, March 17, 2011
- PIV-Interoperable Credential Case Studies, Smart Card Alliance Identity Council white paper, February 2012
- Supporting the PIV Application in Mobile Devices with the UICC, Smart Card Alliance white paper, June 2013
- Using FIPS 201 and the PIV Card for the Corporate Enterprise, October 2008
See other Secure Technology Alliance publications on secure identity applications.
Identity Council Activities
The Council is currently working on projects to raise awareness of the issues that organizations and the public face in implementing and using identity systems and to promote the use of the appropriate technologies to solve these issues. Council activities include:
- Developing white papers and briefings on key identity topics to provide educational resources to the industry.
- Developing industry positions on key identity issues and offering perspectives on solutions.
- Maintaining an active, public voice on identity topics, promoting the positive aspects of identity technology solutions and responding to reports that contain misinformation about identity technology.
Council Management
The Identity Council is managed by a steering committee made up of participants from across the identity, security and smart card industry. The Identity Council officers are:
- Chair: Tom Lockwood, NextgenID
Current steering committee members are:
- Jatin Deshpande, G+D Mobile Security
- David Kelts, GET Group NA
- Tom Lockwood, NextgenID
- Neville Pattinson, Thales DIS USA, Inc.
- Steve Rogers, IQ Devices
- Ted Sobel, Department of Homeland Security
- Sridher Swamanathan, First Data
- Rob Zivney, Identification Technology Partners
Council Membership
The Identity Council is one of several Secure Technology Alliance Technology and Industry Councils. Council participation is open to any Secure Technology Alliance member who wishes to contribute to the Council projects.
The Secure Technology Alliance recognizes the top three individual contributors in each of the industry councils and the council “honor roll” – the individuals who were leading contributors and participants in the council projects and activities.
Secure Technology Alliance members who are active in the Identity Council include:
- CPI Card Group
- Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc.
- Defense Manpower Data Center
- Discover Financial Services
- DualAuth, Inc.
- Exponent, Inc.
- Fiserv
- Giesecke+Devrient
- GET Group NA
- HID Global
- IDEMIA
- Identification Technology Partners
- Identiv
- Infineon Technologies
- Ingenico, North America
- Intercede Limited
- IQ Devices
- Kona I Co. Ltd.
- Mastercard
- MULTOS International
- NextgenID, Inc.
- NIST – National Institute of Standards and Technology
- NXP Semiconductors
- Secure Element Solutions LLC
- SEPTA
- SHAZAM
- SigNet Technologies, Inc.
- Thales DIS USA, Inc.
- Underwriters Laboratories (UL)
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Visa Inc.
- Wells Fargo
- XTec, Incorporated
Identity Council participation is open to any Secure Technology Alliance member who wishes to contribute to the Council projects.
For more information about the Identity Council or for more information on becoming a member of the Alliance, please contact the Alliance office via email at [email protected] or via telephone at (800) 556-6828.