Key Points
Hed decided that Login.gov, which provides a secure way to access dozens of government apps and websites, wouldnt use selfies and face recognition to verify the identity of people creating new accounts..
Zvenyachs rejection of face recognition, detailed in areport this month by the Office of the Inspector General of the General Services Administration, the agency that houses Login.gov, saw a government official draw a line in the sand in order to protect citizens from discrimination by algorithms..
The report from the GSAs inspector general says that Zvenyach notified other agencies relying on Login.gov that its lack of face recognition put them out of compliance with NIST requirements in early 2022, after aWIRED article drew attention to Login.govs face recognition policy...
The OIG report says that a few days later, in early February, seven months after his internal message on face recognition, Zvenyach wrote to federal agencies that were using Login.gov to inform them that it was not in fact compliant with NIST requirements, due to his groups stance on face recognition...
Both the IRS face recognition scandal last year and new report on Login.gov this month, Williams says, underscore a need for conversations including citizens and lawmakers about the kinds of identity verification theyre comfortable with and whether people want a digital form of identification at all..
