ID.me has announced that it has reached a milestone with 50 million users verified to the federal standards for consumer authentication, the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2). 

According to the company, this market adoption marks a transformation for customer experience tied to login and identity verification.  

Once users have created an ID.me login and verified their identity, they are fast-tracked to access services across hundreds of government, private sector and non-profit organizations. 

Similar to payment wallets, ID.me’s identity wallet allows registered users to login and consent to release their previously verified identity to access services at multiple agencies.  

This approach reduces user friction while providing important security benefits, the company reports.  

Portable identity credentials are the future 

“The real value of a reusable, portable credential with ID.me is that we shift control back to the consumer by stripping away the friction consumers were forced to endure because of multiple logins and a frustrating inventory of passwords,” said Blake Hall, Founder and CEO, ID.me.  

“The verified ID.me user has access to the internet’s digital fast lane.  

“ID.me verification is designed so that it is the last login an individual ever has to create and the last identity verification event they have to perform.” 

These credentials are portable and reusable through ID.me’s Multi-Factor Authentication capabilities which are certified at NIST Authenticator Assurance Level 2 (AAL2).  

Federal and state government agencies, healthcare organizations and businesses adhere to NIST for compliance purposes and to securely authenticate user identities.  

ID.me says it is the only digital identity verification provider that meets the NIST standard while offering portable and reusable identities to streamline access along with omnichannel enrollment options for first-time identity verification. 

Portable and reusable identity credentials have also been shown to improve customer experience and increase access to services.  

As pre-verified users move from site to site, pass rates can exceed 99% when high-assurance credentials are reused.  

By providing video-chat and in person verification pathways, individuals have more options to verify the way they choose.  

Streamlined services 

“The ID.me branded button on a website signifies a digital fast lane to streamline access to services,” Hall explained.  

“This digital fast lane is particularly important to the most vulnerable populations.  

“Data brokers, even those who use alternative data sources, do not have coverage for tens of millions of non-fraudulent users.  

“ID.me’s approach offers alternative verification options for enrollment, which includes more people in the promise of the digital economy.  

“We lock in those inclusion gains via our identity wallet so users have a digital passport for access.” 

Meeting the NIST standards are also key to preventing fraud, the company highlights.  

During the pandemic, seven states credited ID.me with helping to prevent over $270 billion in fraud.  

Fraud and identity theft slows down agency operations, these capabilities lead to more access over time. 

“The power of the secure ID.me login is that it allows our business customers to move past a fractured tangle of confusing login systems,” said Hall.  

“By unifying consumer identity across organizations, our customers can focus on their core mission and service delivery while outsourcing authentication to ID.me’s secure network which increases access and lowers fraud.”