2.11: Identification and Authentication

Enable use of identification and authentication technology

Other Information:

What Public Policy Outcomes are Related to Electronic Identification and Authentication Technologies? Efficiency: By moving from paper to electronic transactions, both time and resources can be saved. Availability: By allowing government services that depend on identification and authentication, citizens will be able to search online for those services. Security of transactions: Technology offers many new methods of making transactions more secure, although there are many counter issues. Legal and Financial Liability: Depending on how laws related to identification and authentication are written and acted upon, there will be some shifts in the nature of liability. Also, some implementations of identity management will bring in mixed liability due to third party involvement of software, vouching organizations and network actors. How Can the Use of Identification and Authentication Technology be Achieved? Legal Dependencies: Governments may need to pass legislation that allows or provides the legal permission for authentication. In the United States, the Government Paperwork Elimination Act was enacted to provide the positive law to allow transactions that previously only been allowed with paper and pen, especially when identification and authentication were necessary for the transaction. Other government entities have created laws to allow for electronic authentication. Technological Methods for Identification and Authentication: Depending on the laws in a jurisdiction, either government or private entities must create the technology that would adhere to the law. In some cases, restrictive laws might necessitate using third parties to provide assurance of identity and authenticity. Additionally, legal requirements might shape what technology software or hardware is allowed. Providing Citizens Tools to Identify Themselves: Quite often citizens will have to obtain electronic identities before being able to complete electronic transactions. Government would need to help create an identity regime that would enable such transactions.

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