The U.S. Payments Forum today unveils a new resource to educate payment stakeholders on the increasing number of emerging, government-issued digital identity services and how they can potentially increase security and convenience for online and in-person transactions between businesses and people.

“The Role of Mobile IDs in Payments,” a white paper produced by U.S. Payments Forum members, is available for download on the website.

Governments around the world are working to create digital identities—electronic representations of government-issued IDs such as passports, drivers’ licenses and identification cards—on now ubiquitous mobile devices.

Known as “mobile IDs” or “mIDs,” digital identities offer many benefits. First, mIDs feature strong cryptographic authentication, making it much more difficult to counterfeit IDs. Also, they can be machine verified, which lessens reliance on manual checks by people. Second, mIDs have the ability to identify identity holders remotely, an increasingly essential capability in our digitally interconnected world. Third, the digital nature of mIDs allows much more frequent updates. For example, when a person moves, that change of address could be updated near real time on the mID, increasing its security value and extending its useful life. They can also provide individuals with more control over which identity attributes to share and better privacy protections.

“Digital identities are a transformative technology that will elevate government-issued credentials to a level of security and convenience commensurate with today's interconnected world,” said Devon Rohrer, managing director of the U.S. Payments Forum. “Our goal with this paper is to educate stakeholders about the progress being made with mIDs and help stimulate their widespread use in the near term in the payments ecosystem.”

Interested parties will gain insights on:

  • The current state of mIDs and mobile driver’s licenses and the future outlook
  • mID standards and guidelines for acceptance
  • How mIDs can be used in today's payments ecosystem
  • Data privacy considerations for payments
  • The future of mID and POS integration

Organizations, associations, government agencies and individuals interested in participating in upcoming Forum projects can visit the Secure Technology Alliance’s website to learn how to become a member. By joining the Secure Technology Alliance, members will have access to activities within the U.S. Payments Forum and additional Alliance-affiliated organizations.

About the U.S. Payments ForumThe U.S. Payments Forum is a cross-industry body that brings stakeholders together on neutral ground to enable efficient, timely and effective implementation of emerging and existing payment technologies. This is achieved through education, guidance and alternative paths to adoption. The Forum is the only non-profit organization whose membership includes the whole payments ecosystem, ensuring that all stakeholders have the opportunity to coordinate, cooperate on and have a voice in the future of the U.S. payments industry. The organization operates within the Secure Technology Alliance, an association that encompasses all aspects of secure digital technologies.

About the Secure Technology AllianceThe Secure Technology Alliance is the digital security industry’s premier association. Through its U.S. Payments Forum, Identity and Access Forum and its collaborative working groups, the Alliance fosters open dialogue among industry stakeholders to explore and develop secure technology innovations in the payments, identity and access markets. By collaborating on education and guidance, the Alliance helps enable efficient, timely and effective implementation of large-scale, disruptive technologies. For more information, please visit https://www.securetechalliance.org.

ContactMike SmithMontner Tech PR203-226-9290msmith@montner.com