APRIL 2011

Enhancing Online Choice, Efficiency, 

Security, and Privacy

NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR

TRUSTED IDENTITIES

IN CYBERSPACE

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 1

Introduction 5

Guiding Principles 11

Identity Solutions will be Privacy-Enhancing and Voluntary 11

Identity Solutions will be Secure and Resilient 12

Identity Solutions will be Interoperable 13

Identity Solutions will be Cost-Effective and Easy To Use 14

Vision 15

Benefits 17

The Identity Ecosystem 21

Goals and Objectives 29

Commitment to Action 37

Role of the Private Sector 37

Role of the Federal Government 37

Role of State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments 39

Role of International Partners 40

Implementation Roadmap and Federal Government Actions 40

Benchmarks 40

Conclusion 43

Appendix A – Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs) 45

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Executive Summary

A secure cyberspace is critical to our prosperity 1 We use the Internet and other online environments to 

increase our productivity, as a platform for innovation, and as a venue in which to create new businesses 

“Our digital infrastructure, therefore, is a strategic national asset, and protecting it—while safeguarding 

privacy and civil liberties—is a national security priority” and an economic necessity 2 By addressing 

threats in this environment, we will help individuals protect themselves in cyberspace and enable both 

the private sector and government to offer more services online 

As a Nation, we are addressing many of the technical and policy shortcomings that have led to insecurity in cyberspace Among these shortcomings is the online authentication of people and devices: 

the President’s Cyberspace Policy Review established trusted identities as a cornerstone of improved 

cybersecurity 3 

In the current online environment, individuals are asked to maintain dozens of different usernames and 

passwords, one for each website with which they interact The complexity of this approach is a burden 

to individuals, and it encourages behavior—like the reuse of passwords—that makes online fraud and 

identity theft easier At the same time, online businesses are faced with ever-increasing costs for managing customer accounts, the consequences of online fraud, and the loss of business that results from 

individuals’ unwillingness to create yet another account Moreover, both businesses and governments 

are unable to offer many services online, because they cannot effectively identify the individuals with 

whom they interact Spoofed websites, stolen passwords, and compromised accounts are all symptoms 

of inadequate authentication mechanisms 

Just as there is a need for methods to reliably authenticate individuals, there are many Internet transactions for which identification and authentication is not needed, or the information needed is limited 

It is vital to maintain the capacity for anonymity and pseudonymity in Internet transactions in order to 

enhance individuals’ privacy and otherwise support civil liberties Nonetheless, individuals and businesses need to be able to check each other’s identity for certain types of sensitive transactions, such as 

online banking or accessing electronic health records 

The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC or Strategy) charts a course for the public 

and private sectors to collaborate to raise the level of trust associated with the identities of individuals, 

organizations, networks, services, and devices involved in online transactions 

1 Cyberspace is the interdependent network of information technology components that underpins many of our 

communications; the Internet is one component of cyberspace 

2 “National Security Strategy ” The White House May 2010, p 27 Web 17 Dec 2010 

http://www whitehouse gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/national_security_strategy pdf

3 “Cyberspace Policy Review: Assuring a Trusted and Resilient Information and Communications Infrastructure ” 

The White House May 2009, p 33 Web 2 Jun 2010 http://www whitehouse gov/assets/documents/Cyberspace_Policy_

Review_final pdf 
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The Strategy’s vision is: 

Individuals and organizations utilize secure, efficient, easy-to-use, and interoperable identity 

solutions to access online services in a manner that promotes confidence, privacy, choice, and 

innovation.

The realization of this vision is the user-centric “Identity Ecosystem” described in this Strategy It is an 

online environment where individuals and organizations will be able to trust each other because they 

follow agreed upon standards to obtain and authenticate their digital identities—and the digital identities of devices The Identity Ecosystem is designed to securely support transactions that range from 

anonymous to fully-authenticated and from low- to high-value The Identity Ecosystem, as envisioned 

here, will increase the following: 

• Privacy protections for individuals, who will be able trust that their personal data is handled 

fairly and transparently; 

• Convenience for individuals, who may choose to manage fewer passwords or accounts than 

they do today;

• Efficiency for organizations, which will benefit from a reduction in paper-based and account 

management processes; 

• Ease-of-use, by automating identity solutions whenever possible and basing them on technology that is simple to operate;

• Security, by making it more difficult for criminals to compromise online transactions; 

• Confidence that digital identities are adequately protected, thereby promoting the use of 

online services; 

• Innovation, by lowering the risk associated with sensitive services and by enabling service 

providers to develop or expand their online presence; 

• Choice, as service providers offer individuals different—yet interoperable—identity credentials 

and media 

Examples that illustrate some potential benefits of the Identity Ecosystem can be found throughout the 

Strategy within the “Envision It!” callout boxes 

The enhancement of privacy and support of civil liberties is a guiding principle of the envisioned Identity 

Ecosystem The Identity Ecosystem will use privacy-enhancing technology and policies to inhibit the 

ability of service providers to link an individual’s transactions, thus ensuring that no one service provider 

can gain a complete picture of an individual’s life in cyberspace By default, only the minimum necessary 

information will be shared in a transaction For example, the Identity Ecosystem will allow a consumer 

to provide her age during a transaction without also providing her birth date, name, address, or other 

identifying data 

In addition to privacy protections, the Identity Ecosystem will preserve online anonymity and pseudonymity, including anonymous browsing These efforts to enhance privacy and otherwise support 

civil liberties will be part of, and informed by, broader privacy policy development efforts occurring 
ExE Cu Ti vE Summary

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throughout the Administration Equally important, participation in the Identity Ecosystem will be voluntary: the government will neither mandate that individuals obtain an Identity Ecosystem credential 

nor that companies require Identity Ecosystem credentials from consumers as the only means to interact 

with them 

The second guiding principle is that identity solutions must be secure and resilient Trusted digital 

identities are only one part of layered security, and online security will not be achieved through the 

establishment of an Identity Ecosystem alone However, more secure identification and authentication 

will both ameliorate existing security failures and provide a critical tool with which to improve other 

areas of online security The Identity Ecosystem must therefore continue to develop in parallel with 

ongoing national efforts to improve platform, network, and software security—and efforts to raise 

awareness of the steps, both technical and non-technical, that individuals and organizations can take 

to improve their security 

The third guiding principle of the Identity Ecosystem is to ensure policy and technology interoperability 

among identity solutions, which will enable individuals to choose between and manage multiple different interoperable credentials Interoperability will also support identity portability and will enable service 

providers within the Identity Ecosystem to accept a variety of credential and identification media types 

The fourth guiding principal is that the Identity Ecosystem must be built from identity solutions that are 

cost-effective and easy to use History and common sense tell us that privacy and security technology 

is most effective when it exhibits both of these characteristics 

The Strategy will only be a success—and the ideal of the Identity Ecosystem will only be fulfilled—if the 

guiding principles of privacy, security, interoperability, and ease-of-use are achieved Achieving them 

separately will not only lead to an inadequate solution but could serve as a hindrance to the broader 

evolution of cyberspace Specifically, achieving interoperability without the appropriate security and 

privacy measures could encourage abuses of personal and proprietary information beyond those that 

occur today However, this risk is more likely to be realized if we take no action: identity solutions in 

cyberspace are already evolving One key role for the Federal Government in the implementation of 

this Strategy is to partner with the private sector to ensure that the Identity Ecosystem implements all 

of the guiding principles The Federal Government’s role is also to coordinate a whole-of-government 

approach to implementation, including fostering cooperation across all levels of government, to deliver 

integrated, constituent-centric services 

The Strategy emphasizes that some parts of the Identity Ecosystem exist today but recognizes that there 

is much work still to be done The Strategy seeks to promote the existing marketplace, encourage new 

solutions where none exist, and establish a baseline of privacy, security, interoperability, and ease of 

use that will enable the market to flourish Central to the Strategy’s approach is the conviction that the 

role of government in achieving the Identity Ecosystem is critical and must be carefully calibrated On 

the one hand, government should not over-define or over-regulate the existing and growing market 

for identity and authentication services If government were to choose a single approach to develop 

the Identity Ecosystem, it could inhibit innovation and limit private-sector opportunities On the other 

hand, the current market for interoperable and privacy-enhancing solutions remains fragmented and 

incomplete, and its pace of evolution does not match the Nation’s needs 
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The private sector will lead the development and implementation of this Identity Ecosystem, and it will 

own and operate the vast majority of the services within it The Identity Ecosystem should be marketdriven, and it should provide a foundation for the development of new and innovative services The 

Strategy’s approach is for the Federal Government to promote the emergence of an integrated landscape of solutions, building on a number of existing or new public and private initiatives to facilitate 

the creation of the Identity Ecosystem The role of the Federal Government is to support and enable 

the private sector; lead by example in utilizing and offering these services; enhance the protection of 

individuals; and ensure the guiding principles of privacy, security, interoperability, and ease of use are 

implemented and maintained in the Identity Ecosystem 

The Federal Government is initiating two short-term actions to implement the Strategy These are to:

• Develop an Implementation Roadmap that identifies and assigns responsibility for actions 

that the Federal Government can perform itself or by which the Federal Government can 

facilitate private-sector efforts 

• Establish a National Program Office (NPO) for coordinating the activities of the Federal 

Government and its private-sector partners The NPO will be hosted at the Department of 

Commerce and accountable to the President, through the Secretary of Commerce 

The complete Identity Ecosystem will take many years to develop, and achieving this vision will require 

the dedicated efforts of both the public and private sectors The Federal Government commits to 

collaborate with the private sector; state, local, tribal, and territorial governments; and international 

governments–and to provide the support and action necessary to make the Identity Ecosystem a reality 

With a concerted, cooperative effort from all of these parties, individuals will realize the benefits of the 

Identity Ecosystem through the conduct of their daily transactions in cyberspace 

The Way Forward

The National Program Office will continue the national dialog among the private sector, public sector, 

and individuals on the implementation of the Strategy Shortly after the release of the Strategy, the NPO 

will hold a series of meetings to highlight the existing work in this area and to support the private sector’s 

standardization of policies and technology for the Identity Ecosystem 

Representatives from industry, academia, civil society organizations, standards-setting organizations, and 

all levels of government are encouraged to attend and collaborate on the design of the Identity Ecosystem 

Together, we will work towards technology and policy standards that offer greater identity security and 

convenience; create new commercial opportunities; and promote innovation, choice, and privacy 
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introduction

Imagine a world where individuals can conduct sensitive business transactions online with reduced 

fear of identity theft or fraud and without the need to manage scores of usernames and passwords 

They can seamlessly access information and services from the private sector, other individuals, and the 

government When they need to assert their identity online, they can choose from a number of different types of credentials They can choose to obtain those credentials from a range of different identity 

providers, both private and public Individuals can better trust the identities of the entities with which 

they interact; as a result, they can conduct a wider array of transactions online to save time and effort All 

of these activities occur together with enhanced privacy protections that are built into the underlying 

processes and technologies At the same time, individuals will retain their existing options of anonymity 

and pseudonymity in Internet transactions 

In this world, organizations efficiently conduct business online by trusting the identities and credentials 

provided by other entities They can eliminate redundant processes associated with managing, authenticating, authorizing, and validating identity data They can reduce loss due to fraud or data theft, and 

they can offer additional services previously deemed too risky to conduct online 

A Platform for Security, Privacy, and Innovation

For our Nation to continue to drive economic growth over the Internet, we must provide individuals and 

organizations the ability and the option to securely identify each other When individuals and organizations can trust online identities, they can offer and use online services too complex and sensitive to have 

been otherwise available 

Some of the technologies needed to solve this problem are emerging For low-assurance transactions, 

individuals can already choose from a number of private-sector identity providers 4 Using these services, individuals can use a single username and password to log in to many different websites, and the 

website trusts a third-party “identity provider” to check the username and password Although these 

technologies provide a glimpse of the future, they have not addressed many of the significant shortcomings of the current environment Most of today’s identity providers use relatively weak usernames and 

passwords, and most individuals are unable to obtain high-assurance credentials with an acceptable 

level of security, privacy and interoperability Almost no existing solutions allow individuals to assert 

their actual identities online, so the government and private sector are unable to offer online versions 

of many high-value or more sensitive services 

4 The level of assurance in a transaction is the degree to which the parties need to know each other’s identity In 

a low-assurance transaction, you may not need to know exactly who the other party is For a high assurance transaction, 

you may want to know their true identity 
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Acknowledging this need, the President’s Cyberspace Policy Review stated that: 

“The Federal Government—in collaboration with industry and the civil liberties and privacy communities—should build a cybersecurity-based identity management vision and strategy for the 

Nation that considers an array of approaches, including privacy-enhancing technologies The Federal 

Government must interact with citizens through myriad information, services, and benefit programs 

and thus has an interest in the protection of the public’s private information as well ”5

This Strategy answers that call An interagency team received vital input from the private sector—

through eighteen critical infrastructure/key resource sectors, nearly seventy different non-profits and 

Federal advisory groups, and a public comment period—to develop the National Strategy for Trusted 

Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) 

The Federal Government is already seeking to create this world for its own operations by executing the 

Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) Roadmap 6 The Strategy seeks to accelerate those activities and to foster the development of an Identity Ecosystem in which trusted identities 

are available to any individual or organization 

Motivation

The Nation faces a host of increasingly sophisticated threats to the personal, sensitive, financial, and 

confidential information of organizations and individuals Fraudulent transactions within the banking, 

retail, and other sectors—along with online intrusions into the Nation’s critical infrastructure, such as 

electric utilities—are all too common As more commercial and government services become available 

online, the amount of sensitive information transmitted over the Internet will increase Consequently, the 

probability of loss associated with data theft, unauthorized modifications, fraud, and privacy breaches 

will also increase Although the total amount of losses—both financial and non-financial—due to online 

fraud and cybercrime is difficult to quantify, the problem is real and it is increasing 7 

Furthermore, the online environment today is not user-centric Individuals tend to have little ability to 

manage their own personal information once it is released to service providers, and they often must 

calculate the tradeoffs among security, privacy, and gaining access to a service they desire In addition, 

individuals have limited ability to use strong digital identities across multiple applications, because 

5 “Cyberspace Policy Review: Assuring a Trusted and Resilient Information and 

Communications Infrastructure ” The White House May 2009, p 33 Web 2 Jun 2010 

http://www whitehouse gov/assets/documents/Cyberspace_Policy_Review_final pdf 

6 See “Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) Roadmap and Implementation 

Guidance” Federal Chief Information Officers Council and the Federal Enterprise Architecture, Web 2 Jun 2010 

http://www idmanagement gov/documents/FICAM_Roadmap_Implementation_Guidance pdf 

7 The 2009 Internet Crime Report states, “From January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009, the Internet 

Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Web site received 336,655 complaint submissions This was a 22 3% increase as 

compared to 2008...the total dollar loss from all referred cases was $559 7 million...up from $264 6 million in 

2008 – “2009 Internet Crime Report ” Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 12 Mar 2010, p 14 Web 2 Jun 2010 

http://www ic3 gov/media/annualreport/2009_IC3Report pdf 

Over 10 million Americans are also victims of identity theft each year – “The Department of Justice’s Efforts 

to Combat Identity Theft ” U S Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Mar 2010 Web 2 Jun 2010 

http://www justice gov/oig/reports/plus/a1021 pdf 

A Federal Trade Commission survey found that some victims of identity theft can spend more than 130 

hours reconstructing their identities (e g , credit rating, bank accounts, reputation, etc ) following an identity 

crime – “2006 Identity Theft Survey Report ” Federal Trade Commission Nov 2007 p 6 Web 2 Jun 2010 

http://www ftc gov/os/2007/11/SynovateFinalReportIDTheft2006 pdf 
i n TroduCTion

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application and service providers do not use a common framework Instead, they face the increasing 

complexity and inconvenience associated with managing the large number of usernames, passwords, 

and other identity credentials required to conduct services online with disparate organizations 

Finally, the collection of identity-related information across multiple providers, coupled with the sharing of personal information through the growth of social media, increases the opportunity for data 

compromise For example, the personal data that individuals use as “prompts” to recover lost passwords 

(mother’s maiden name, the name of a first pet, etc ) is often publicly available or easily obtained 

The benefits of a widely-deployed, broadly-adopted Identity Ecosystem are as significant as the drawbacks of continuing along the current path Widespread fraud, data breaches, and the inefficiencies of 

authenticating parties to online transactions impose economic losses, diminish trust, and prevent some 

services from being offered online These tradeoffs and shortcomings are not necessary; innovative 

technologies exist that can provide security and privacy protections while simultaneously granting 

individuals access to services they desire 

1. Envision It!

Mary is tired of remembering dozens of user names and passwords, so she obtains a digital credential from 

her Internet service provider that is stored on a smart card Now that she has the smart card, she is also

willing to conduct more sensitive transactions, like managing her healthcare, online One morning, she 

inserts the smart card into her computer, and uses the credential on it to “run” some errands, including:

•	 Logging in to her bank and obtaining digital cash;

•	 Buying a sweater at a new online retailer—without having to open an account;

•	 Signing documents to refinance her mortgage;

•	 Reading the note her doctor left in her personal health record, in response to the blood sugar statistics 

she had uploaded the day before;

•	 Sending an email to confirm dinner with a friend; and

•	 Checking her day’s schedule on her employer’s intranet portal 

In just minutes, she is done with her errands and has plenty of time to stop at the local coffee shop on her 

way to work 
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Scope

The Strategy focuses on ways to establish and maintain trusted digital identities, which are critical for 

improving the security of online transactions Online transactions are electronic communications 

among two or more parties, connected via networks, systems, and computers Technology and processes 

for identification (establishing unique digital identities) and authentication (verifying the identity of a 

user, process, or device) are at the forefront of this Strategy In addition, the Strategy focuses on ways of 

providing trusted and validated attributes to enable organizations to make decisions about authorization (approving or giving consent for access) Identification, authentication, and authorization provide 

the information and assurances necessary for the parties within a given transaction to trust each other 

Individuals, organizations, hardware, networks, and software are all participants in an online transaction; 

therefore, each of these may be identified, authenticated, and authorized 

The Strategy recognizes that trusted digital identity, authentication and authorization processes are 

one part of layered security Improvements in identification and authentication are critical to attaining 

a trusted online environment; however, they must be combined with other crucial aspects of cybersecurity They must develop in parallel with ongoing national efforts to improve platform, network, and 

software security—and to raise awareness of the steps, both technical and non-technical, that individuals 

and organizations can take to improve their security While the Strategy does not address these other 

essential efforts, it anticipates that many co-evolving solutions in these areas will need to use trusted 

identities and improved authentication if we are to improve the security of cyberspace 

The identity aspects of securing online transactions are 

a subset of the overall identity management sphere 

The Strategy does not explicitly address identity and 

trust issues in the offline world; however, offline and 

online identity solutions can and should complement 

each other Identity proofing (verifying the identity of 

an individual) and the quality of identity source documents have a profound impact on establishing trusted 

digital identities, but the Strategy does not prescribe 

how these processes and documents need to evolve 

Lastly, the Strategy does not advocate for the establishment of a national identification card or system Nor 

does the Strategy seek to circumscribe the ability of 

individuals to communicate anonymously or pseudonymously, which is vital to protect free speech and 

freedom of association Instead, the Strategy seeks to 

provide to individuals and organizations the option 

of interoperable and higher-assurance credentials 

to supplement existing options, like anonymity or 

pseudonymity 

2. Envision It!

A power utility remotely manages “Smart 

Grid” software deployed on an electricity 

meter 

•	 Secure authentication between the power 

company and the meter prevents criminals 

from deploying fraudulent meters to steal 

electricity 

•	 Trusted hardware modules ensure that the 

hardware and software configurations on 

the meter are correct 

•	 The meter validates that instructions and 

periodic software upgrades actually come 

from the power company 

Trusted interactions among hardware, 

software, and organizations reduce the threat 

of fraudulent activity and the deployment of 

malware within the Smart Grid 
i n TroduCTion

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Public-Private Collaboration

The private sector and all levels of government, working together, can foster both economic prosperity 

and cybersecurity by overcoming the barriers that inhibit the adoption of more trustworthy identities 

in cyberspace 8 Such barriers include: 

• Concerns regarding personal privacy;

• Lack of secure, convenient, user-friendly options for authentication and identification;

• Uncertainty regarding the allocation and level of liability for fraud or other failures; and

• The absence of a common framework to help establish trusted identities across a diverse landscape of online transactions and constituents 

To bring this world to fruition, close collaboration between the public and private sectors is crucial 

8 In this document, “all levels of government” includes Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government 

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guiding principles

The Strategy specifies four Guiding Principles to which the Identity Ecosystem must adhere:

• Identity solutions will be privacy-enhancing and voluntary 

• Identity solutions will be secure and resilient

• Identity solutions will be interoperable

• Identity solutions will be cost-effective and easy to use

These principles form the foundation for all of the Strategy’s goals, objectives, and actions The Strategy 

will only be a success—and the ideal of the Identity Ecosystem will only be fulfilled—if these Guiding 

Principles are achieved 

Identity Solutions will be Privacy-Enhancing and Voluntary 

The offline world has structural barriers that preserve 

individual privacy by limiting information collection, 

use, and disclosure to a specific context For example, 

consider a driver’s license: an individual can use a 

driver’s license to open a bank account, board an airplane, or view an age-restricted movie at the cinema, 

but the Department of Motor Vehicles does not know 

every place that accepts driver’s licenses as identification It is also difficult for the bank, the airport, and the 

movie theater to collaborate and link the transactions 

together At the same time, there are aspects of these 

offline transactions that are not privacy-protective 

The movie theater attendant who checks an individual’s driver’s license needs to know only that the 

individual is over age 17 But looking at the driver’s 

license reveals extraneous information, such as the 

individual’s address and full date of birth 

Ideally, identity solutions should preserve the positive privacy benefits of offline transactions while 

mitigating some of the negative privacy aspects The Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs) are the 

widely accepted framework for evaluating and mitigating privacy impacts The eight FIPPs are transparency, individual participation, purpose specification, data minimization, use limitation, data quality and 

integrity, security, and accountability and auditing 9

9 See Appendix A to this document for details on the Fair Information Practice Principles 

3. Envision It!

Antonio, age thirteen, wants to enter an online 

chat room that is specifically for adolescents, 

between the ages of twelve and seventeen 

His parents give him permission to get a digital 

credential from his school His school also acts 

as an attribute provider: it validates that he 

is between the age of twelve and seventeen 

without actually revealing his name, birth 

date or any other information about him 

The credential employs privacy-enhancing 

technology to validate Antonio’s age without 

informing the school that he is using the credential Antonio can speak anonymously but 

with confidence that the other participants are 

between the ages of twelve and seventeen 
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The envisioned Identity Ecosystem will be grounded in a holistic implementation of the FIPPs in order 

to provide multi-faceted privacy protections For example, organizations will collect and distribute only 

the information necessary to the transaction, maintain appropriate safeguards on that information, and 

be responsive and accountable to individuals’ privacy expectations In circumstances where individuals 

make choices regarding the use of their data (such as to restrict particular uses), those choices will be 

automatically applied to all parties with whom that individual interacts Consistent with the FIPPs-based 

approach, the Identity Ecosystem will include limits on the length of time organizations can retain 

personal information and will require them to provide individuals with appropriate opportunities to 

access, correct, and delete it The Identity Ecosystem will also require organizations to maintain auditable 

records regarding the use and protection of personal information 

Moreover, a FIPPs-based approach will promote the creation and adoption of privacy-enhancing 

technical standards Such standards will minimize the transmission of unnecessary information and 

eliminate the superfluous “leakage” of information that can be invisibly collected by third parties Such 

standards will also minimize the ability to link credential use among multiple service providers, thereby 

preventing them from developing a complete picture of an individual’s activities online Finally, service 

providers will request individuals’ credentials only when necessary for the transaction and then only as 

appropriate to the risk associated with the transaction As a result, implementation of the FIPPs will protect individuals’ capacity to engage anonymously in cyberspace Universal adoption of the FIPPs in the 

envisioned Identity Ecosystem will enable a variety of transactions, including anonymous, anonymous 

with validated attributes, pseudonymous, and uniquely identified—while providing robust privacy 

protections that promote usability and trust 

Finally, participation in the Identity Ecosystem will be voluntary: the government will neither mandate 

that individuals obtain an Identity Ecosystem credential nor that companies require Identity Ecosystem 

credentials from consumers as the only means to interact with them Individuals shall be free to use 

an Identity Ecosystem credential of their choice, provided the credential meets the minimum risk 

requirements of the relying party, or to use any non-Identity Ecosystem mechanism provided by 

the relying party Individuals’ participation in the Identity Ecosystem will be a day-to-day—or even a 

transaction-to-transaction—choice 

Identity Solutions will be Secure and Resilient

Identity solutions and the processes and techniques used to establish trust must be secure against 

attack or misuse Security ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of identity solutions and, 

when appropriate, the non-repudiation of transactions The use of open and collaboratively developed 

security standards and the presence of auditable security processes are critical to an identity solution’s 

trustworthiness Identity solutions must have security built into them so that whenever possible, the 

security is transparent to the user 

Identity solutions will provide secure and reliable methods of electronic authentication Authentication 

credentials are secure when they are (a) issued based on sound criteria for verifying the identity of individuals and devices; (b) resistant to theft, tampering, counterfeiting, and exploitation; and (c) issued only 

by providers who fulfill the necessary requirements In addition, the ability to support robust forensic 
guiding prinCiplE S

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capabilities will maximize recovery efforts, enable enhancements to protect against evolving threats, and 

permit attribution, when appropriate, to ensure that criminals can be held accountable for their activities 

Reliable identity solutions will also be available and resilient Identity solutions are available when they 

meet appropriate service-level requirements agreed upon by the individuals and organizations that 

use them Credentials are resilient when they can recover from loss, compromise, theft—and can be 

effectively revoked or suspended in instances of misuse Another contributor to resilience is the existence 

of a diverse and heterogeneous environment of providers and methods of authentication In a diverse 

ecosystem, a participant can easily switch providers if their existing provider becomes insolvent, incapable of adhering to policies, or revises their terms of service  Identity solutions must detect when trust 

has been broken, be capable of timely restoration after any disruption, be able to quickly revoke and 

recover compromised digital identities, and be capable of adapting to the dynamic nature of technology 

Identity Solutions will be Interoperable

Interoperability encourages service providers to accept a variety of credential and identity media, similar to the way ATMs accept credit and debit cards from different banks Interoperability also supports 

identity portability: it enables individuals to use a variety of credentials in asserting their digital identity 

to a service provider Finally, the interoperability of identity solutions envisioned in this Strategy will 

enable individuals to easily switch providers, thus harnessing market incentives to meet individuals’ 

expectations 

This guiding principle recognizes two interoperability ideals within the Identity Ecosystem:

• There will be standardized, reliable credentials and identity media in widespread use in both 

the public and private sectors; and

• If an individual, device, or system presents a valid and appropriate credential, any qualified relying party is capable of accepting and verifying the credential as proof of identity and attributes 

To achieve these ideals, identity solutions should be scalable across multiple communities, spanning 

traditional geographic borders Interoperable identity solutions will allow organizations to accept and 

trust external users authenticated by a third party Identity solutions achieve scalability when all participants in the various identity federations agree upon a common set of standards, requirements, and 

accountability mechanisms for securely exchanging digital identity information, resulting in authentication across identity federations 

Identity solutions will achieve at least two types of interoperability: technical and policy-level Technical 

interoperability (including semantic interoperability) refers to the ability for different technologies to 

communicate and exchange data based upon well-defined and testable interface standards Policylevel interoperability is the ability for organizations to adopt common business policies and processes 

(e g , liability, identity proofing, and vetting) related to the transmission, receipt, and acceptance of data 

between systems 

There are many existing standards and standards organizations that address these issues, and the 

Identity Ecosystem will encourage the use of existing, non-proprietary solutions When new standards 
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are needed, the Identity Ecosystem will emphasize non-proprietary, international, and industry-led standards In addition, identity solutions will be modular, allowing service providers to build sophisticated 

identity systems using smaller and simpler sub-systems This implementation philosophy will improve 

the flexibility, reliability, and reuse of these systems, and it will allow for simplicity and efficiency in 

change management: service providers can add and remove components as the Identity Ecosystem 

evolves 

Identity Solutions will be Cost-Effective and Easy To Use

From the individual’s perspective, the increasing complexity and risk of managing multiple credentials 

threaten the convenience associated with online transactions 

The Identity Ecosystem will promote identity solutions that 

foster the reduction and elimination of policy and technology 

silos that require individuals to maintain multiple identity credentials Individuals will be able to establish a small number 

of identity credentials that they can leverage across a wide 

variety of service providers Organizations will no longer have 

to issue and maintain credentials for each of their users 

Individuals, businesses, organizations, and all levels of government will benefit from the reduced cost of online transactions: fewer redundant account procedures, a reduction in 

fraud, decreased help-desk costs, and a transition away from 

expensive paper-based processes Furthermore, reusable 

identity solutions promote operational efficiency and will 

further reduce the cost of implementing online services The use of existing identity solutions that align 

with the Strategy is one way of quickly achieving these efficiencies 

Identity solutions should be simple to understand, intuitive, easy-to-use, and enabled by technology that 

requires minimal user training Many existing technology components in widespread use today, such 

as cell phones, smart cards, and personal computers, can be leveraged to act as or contain a credential 

Whenever possible, identity solutions should be built into online services to enhance their usability 

Identity solutions must also bridge the ‘digital divide’; they must be available to all individuals, and they 

must be accessible to the disadvantaged and disabled 

4. Envision It!

Parvati uses a credential, issued by a 

third party and bound to her existing 

cell phone, to access online government tax services She can log in with 

the click of a button: she no longer 

has to remember the complicated 

password she previously had to use 

She views her tax history, changes her 

demographic information, files her 

taxes electronically, and monitors her 

refund status 
★ ★ 15

vision 

Consistent with the Guiding Principles, the vision of the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in 

Cyberspace is:

Individuals and organizations utilize secure, efficient, easy-to-use and interoperable identity 

solutions to access online services in a manner that promotes confidence, privacy, choice, and 

innovation.

The vision applies to individuals, businesses, non-profits, advocacy groups, associations, and governments at all levels It cannot be accomplished without the close cooperation between the public and 

private sectors It also reflects the user-centric nature of the Identity Ecosystem, which provides greater 

transparency, privacy protection, flexibility, and choice to the individual 

Working from this collectively developed vision, the remainder of the Strategy plots the journey the 

Nation must undertake—led by the private sector and enabled by all levels of government—to attain 

an operational Identity Ecosystem 

★ ★ 17

benefits

The benefits of the envisioned Identity Ecosystem for individuals, the private sector, and governments 

are closely intertwined Nevertheless, each experiences the benefits of the Identity Ecosystem through 

the lens of its particular interests and concerns 

Benefits for Individuals

• Convenience. Individuals will be able to conduct their personal business online with less 

time and effort They will be able to access services easily without having to manage many 

different usernames and passwords 

• Privacy. Individuals’ privacy will be enhanced 

The Identity Ecosystem will limit the amount 

of identifying information that is collected and 

transmitted in the course of online transactions 

It will also protect individuals from those who 

would link individuals’ transactions in order to 

track individuals’ online activities 

• Security. Individuals can work and play online 

with fewer concerns about identity theft 

Stronger authentication will limit unauthorized 

transactions, and decreasing the transmission 

of identifying information will result in less risk 

from data breaches 

Benefits for the Private Sector

• Innovation. The Identity Ecosystem will provide a platform on which new or more efficient 

business models will be developed—just as the Internet itself has been a platform for innovation The Identity Ecosystem will enable new forms of online alliances and co-branding It will 

also enable organizations to put new services online, especially for sectors such as healthcare 

and banking Early adopters can leverage innovative solutions within the Identity Ecosystem 

to differentiate their brands in the marketplace 

• Efficiency. Online transactions will be practical in more situations The private sector will have 

lower barriers to customer enrollment, increased productivity, and decreased costs Crossorganizational trust will provide businesses with exposure to a large population of potential 

customers they might not otherwise reach Not only is there potential access to new customers, 

the traditional barriers associated with customer enrollment can be eliminated, reducing a 

5. Envision It!

Ann learns that her recently issued bank 

card and her new university card are both 

Identity Ecosystem-approved credentials 

She also discovers that her email provider 

and social networking site accept both of 

these credentials, while her health care 

provider and local utility companies accept 

the higher assurance bank card Ann decides 

to log in to her email and social networking site using her university card, but uses 

her bank card to log in to her health and 

utility services Now she no longer has to 

remember tens of different usernames 

and passwords and can conduct different 

risk transactions with appropriate levels of 

authentication, all without having to obtain 

an additional credential 
naTional STr aT Egy for Tr uSTEd idEn T i T iE S in Cy bEr SpaC E

★ ★ 18

friction that prevents potential customers from using a service The consistency and accuracy 

of trusted digital identities will improve productivity by, for example, reducing paper-based 

processes and the help-desk costs associated with account management and password maintenance Losses due to fraud and identity theft will also be reduced 

• Trust. Trusted digital identities will allow organizations to better display and protect their brands 

online Participants in the Identity Ecosystem will also be more trusted, because they will have 

agreed to the Identity Ecosystem’s minimum standards for privacy and security 

6. Envision It!

A small business wants to start an online store It decides that participating in the Identity Ecosystem will 

eliminate the need to develop costly account management features Moreover, the effort required for a 

potential customer to establish an account at the store will be decreased—in many cases customers will 

not need to establish an account at all in order to make a purchase 

The business wants the full benefits of the Identity Ecosystem, so it meets the published, transparent 

requirements and receives a “trustmark ” Customers can see that trustmark and know that the business 

complies with the policies of the Identity Ecosystem 

The business then selects three types of credentials that meet its security requirements There are twelve 

identity providers that meet the businesses requirements, and they have issued a total of thirty million 

credentials  

As a result, the business immediately has a base of millions of potential customers who can safely and easily shop at the online store without enduring the inconvenience of manually entering information to create 

an account 

Benefits for Government

• Constituent Satisfaction. The Identity Ecosystem will enable government to expand its online 

services in order to serve its constituents more efficiently and transparently (while still offering 

in-person services for those who prefer them) It will also enable increased integration among 

government service providers to coordinate and deliver services to constituents Technology 

initiatives, such as the Smart Grid and Health Information Technology, can leverage the capabilities of the Identity Ecosystem to increase participation in the initiative 

• Economic Growth. Government support of the Identity Ecosystem will generate innovation in 

the marketplace that will create new business opportunities and advance U S business goals 

in international trade 

• Public Safety. Increasing online security will reduce cyber crime, improve the integrity of 

networks and systems, and raise overall consumer safety levels Enhanced online trust will also 

provide a platform to support more effective and adaptable response to national emergencies 
b En EfiTS

★ ★ 19

The benefits just highlighted—and those that will develop over time—will result not from any single 

component of the Identity Ecosystem but from the emergence of the Identity Ecosystem as a new 

national platform 

7. Envision It!

A large national emergency erupts on the coastline and a call for support results in an influx of first 

responders at the emergency site 

A federal agency is tracking the event using their global satellite network, and can share detailed information to state and local officials, utility providers, and emergency first responders from all over the country 

Each participant in the information exchange uses an interoperable credential issued by his employer to 

log into the information-sharing portal The portal automatically directs responders to information relevant 

to them based on their duties and affiliated organization 

Joel, a doctor, logs in and sees the triage report with injury lists at each of the local emergency shelters The 

hospital where he is a resident acts as the attribute provider to verify his status as a doctor and his specialty 

The portal indicates that his specialty is in high demand at a center half a mile away, where there is a long 

waiting time for care 

In addition, Joel accesses an application on his registered cell phone to track changing local conditions It 

warns him that two bridges in his area have recently been reported as unsafe and one intersection should 

be avoided Joel uses this information to safely navigate to the center where he can be authenticated as a 

licensed specialist and can most help the victims of the emergency 

★ ★ 21

The identity Ecosystem

The Identity Ecosystem is the embodiment of the vision It is an online environment where individuals 

and organizations can trust each other because they follow agreed-upon standards and processes to 

identify and authenticate their digital identities—and the digital identities of organizations and devices 

Similar to ecosystems that exist in nature, it will require disparate organizations and individuals to function together and fulfill unique roles and responsibilities, with an overarching set of standards and rules 

The Identity Ecosystem will offer, but will not mandate, stronger identification and authentication while 

protecting privacy by limiting the amount of information that individuals must disclose 

Participating in the Identity Ecosystem 

The Identity Ecosystem consists of the participants, policies, processes, and technologies required for 

trusted identification, authentication, and authorization across diverse transaction types The entities 

and roles described below are part of the Identity Ecosystem All of the roles may be held by public or 

private-sector organizations or a combination of both, and a single organization may provide services 

that cross multiple roles 

Identity Ecosystem Execution Components

• An individual is a person engaged in an online transaction Individuals are the first priority of 

the Strategy 

• A non-person entity (NPE) may also require authentication in the Identity Ecosystem NPEs can 

be organizations, hardware, networks, software, or services and are treated much like individuals 

within the Identity Ecosystem NPEs may engage in or support a transaction 

• The subject of a transaction may be an individual or an NPE 

• Attributes are a named quality or characteristic inherent in or ascribed to someone or something (for example, “this individual’s age is at least 21 years”) 

• A digital identity is a set of attributes that represent a subject in an online transaction 

• An identity provider (IDP) is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and securing the digital 

identity associated with that subject These processes include revoking, suspending, and restoring the subject’s digital identity if necessary 

• The identity provider may also verify the identity of and sign up (enroll) a subject Alternatively, 

verification and enrollment may be performed by a separate enrolling agent 

• IDPs issue credentials, the information objects used during a transaction to provide evidence 

of the subject’s identity The credential may also provide a link to the subject’s authority, roles, 

rights, privileges, and other attributes 

• The credential can be stored on an identity medium: a device or object (physical or virtual) used 

for storing one or more credentials, claims, or attributes related to a subject Identity media are 
naTional STr aT Egy for Tr uSTEd idEn T i T iE S in Cy bEr SpaC E

★ ★ 22

available in many formats, such as smart cards, security chips embedded in personal computers, 

cell phones, software based certificates, and Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices Selecting the 

appropriate identity medium and credential type is implementation-specific and depends on 

the risk tolerance of the participating entities 

• A relying party (RP) makes transaction decisions based upon its receipt, validation, and acceptance of a subject’s authenticated credentials and attributes Within the Identity Ecosystem, a 

relying party selects and trusts the identity and attribute providers of their choice, based on risk 

and functional requirements Relying parties are not required to integrate with all permutations 

of credential types and identity media Rather, they can trust an identity provider’s assertion 

of a valid subject credential, as appropriate Relying parties also typically need to identify and 

authenticate themselves to the subject as part of transactions in the Identity Ecosystem Relying 

parties can choose the strength of the authentication and attributes required to access their 

services 

• An attribute provider (AP) is responsible for the processes associated with establishing and 

maintaining identity attributes Attribute maintenance includes validating, updating, and 

revoking the attribute claim An attribute provider asserts trusted, validated attribute claims in 

response to attribute requests from relying parties In certain instances, a subject may self-assert 

attribute claims to relying parties Trusted, validated attributes inform relying parties’ decision 

to authorize subjects 

• Participants refer to the collective subjects, identity providers, attribute providers, relying 

parties and identity media taking part in a given transaction 

•

Individuals

Applies

Organizations

Hardware and Software

Data

Subject

Creates

Issues Validated Credential

Validated Identity

Figure 1: A subject obtains a validated credential to use in online transactions

A trustmark is used to indicate that a product or service provider has met the requirements of 

the Identity Ecosystem, as determined by an accreditation authority The trustmark itself, and 

the way it is presented, will be resistant to tampering and forgery; participants should be able 

to both visually and electronically validate its authenticity The trustmark helps individuals and 

organizations make informed choices about the Identity Ecosystem-related practices of the 

service providers and identity media they select 
T hE i d En T i Ty ECo S ySTEm

★ ★ 23

An Example of the Identity Ecosystem

The following provides a functional example of how individuals and organizations can take advantage 

of the Identity Ecosystem The Identity Ecosystem supports many types of interactions and the example 

in this section is just one way in which the guiding principles of the Strategy are upheld 

As shown in Figure 1, individuals or NPEs acting within the Identity Ecosystem can obtain a pseudonymous or uniquely identified credential from an identity provider before conducting transactions online 

For higher levels of assurance, identity providers validate subjects’ physical identities and make sure 

that each digital identity accurately reflects the actual person or NPE Next, identity providers associate 

a subject’s credential with the subject’s digital identity 

Individuals or NPEs can obtain validated attribute claims from attribute providers, as depicted in Figure 

2 Attribute providers confirm, bind, assert and issue attribute information about a subject For example, 

an attribute claim might assert that an individual is older than age twenty-one 

Individuals

Organizations

Hardware and Software

Data

Requests

Subject

Validated Attribute 

Claim

Issues

Figure 2: A subject obtains a validated attribute claim to use in online transactions

In Figure 3, the individual or NPE presents credentials and attributes directly to the relying party The 

subject uses privacy-enhancing technologies to minimize the information that is revealed to the relying party The relying party can then validate the credentials and attributes without the need for the 

identity or attribute providers to know that the subject is performing the transaction Individuals or NPEs 

may supply attribute values (“my birth date is March 31, 1974”) or verified attribute claims (“I am older 

than twenty-one”) to the relying party Relying parties are able to authenticate that the credentials and 

attributes are from valid providers and are current 
naTional STr aT Egy for Tr uSTEd idEn T i T iE S in Cy bEr SpaC E

★ ★ 24

Figure 3: A subject supplies validated credentials and attribute claims to a relying 

party to authorize an online transaction

Likewise, an individual or NPE is able to make informed choices about relying parties by checking 

whether or not the relying party has a “trustmark,” which certifies that it adheres to the rules of the 

Identity Ecosystem When the individual accesses the online services of the relying party, the trustmark 

is electronically validated 

Consider the situation in which a woman, Keisha, requests medical information from the hospital her 

husband, John, has recently visited The hospital requires that any such requests be authenticated using 

a high assurance credential In addition, the hospital requires patient approval before releasing personal 

medical information to other individuals 

Keisha uses the browser on her cell phone to access the hospital website The browser authenticates the 

hospital’s website domain so that Keisha knows she is not sending information to a fraudulent site Keisha 

has a digital certificate issued by her trustmarked cell phone carrier (also her IDP), and the hospital validates the authenticity of the credential, her cell phone, and her digital identity Next, to receive patient 

approval for the release of personal records, the hospital obtains validation from John’s primary care 

clinic (the AP) The primary care provider validates and maintains the appropriate attributes in the form 

of John’s approval to release his medical information to Keisha The hospital uses the clinic’s assertion 

as proof that John digitally signed a medical release authorization form for Keisha, so it allows Keisha 

to view John’s test results Although all of these operations occur, they happen in the background All 

Keisha has to do is browse to the secure website on her credentialed smart phone 

The Policy Foundation of the Identity Ecosystem 

The Identity Ecosystem will consist of different online communities that use interoperable technology, 

processes, and policies These will be developed over time—but always with a baseline of privacy, 

interoperability, and security The different components include: 

• The Identity Ecosystem Framework is the overarching set of interoperability standards, risk 

models, privacy and liability policies, requirements, and accountability mechanisms that structure the Identity Ecosystem 
T hE i d En T i Ty ECo S ySTEm

★ ★ 25

• A steering group will administer the process for policy and standards development for the 

Identity Ecosystem Framework in accordance with the Guiding Principles in this Strategy The 

steering group will also ensure that accreditation authorities validate participants’ adherence 

to the requirements of the Identity Ecosystem Framework 

• A trust framework is developed by a community whose members have similar goals and 

perspectives It defines the rights and responsibilities of that community’s participants in the 

Identity Ecosystem; specifies the policies and standards specific to the community; and defines 

the community-specific processes and procedures that provide assurance A trust framework 

considers the level of risk associated with the transaction types of its participants; for example, 

for regulated industries, it could incorporate the requirements particular to that industry 

Different trust frameworks can exist within the Identity Ecosystem, and sets of participants 

can tailor trust frameworks to meet their particular needs In order to be a part of the Identity 

Ecosystem, all trust frameworks must still meet the baseline standards established by the 

Identity Ecosystem Framework 

• An accreditation authority assesses and validates identity providers, attribute providers, relying parties, and identity media, ensuring that they all adhere to an agreed-upon trust framework 

Accreditation authorities can issue trustmarks to the participants that they validate 

• A trustmark scheme is the combination of criteria that is measured to determine service 

provider compliance with the Identity Ecosystem Framework 

The Identity Ecosystem Framework provides a baseline set of standards and policies that apply to all of 

the participating trust frameworks This baseline is more permissive at the lowest levels of assurance, to 

ensure that it does not serve as an undue barrier to entry, and more detailed at higher levels of assurance, 

to ensure that participants have adequate protections 

The Identity Ecosystem Framework will not be developed overnight It will take time for different 

participants to reach agreement on all of the policy and technical standards necessary to fulfill the 

Strategy’s vision Initially, the Identity Ecosystem Framework is likely to contain a fairly minimal set of 

commonly agreed upon standards The Identity Ecosystem Framework will become more robust over 

time as participants are able to come to agreement on different standards 

Trust frameworks enable communities to elaborate upon the baseline standards and policies from the 

Identity Ecosystem Foundation For example, there may be a trust framework for the identification of 

computer network cards As another example, mobile phone providers have specific technical needs 

Carriers may thus join a trust framework to enable individuals to authenticate using their cell phones 

as a credential 

One or more private-sector accreditation authorities may be necessary to implement a trust framework 

Accreditation authorities validate identity providers, attribute providers, and relying parties, ensuring 

that they meet the policies and standards set by the trust framework Existing private-sector organizations already serve in this role in some sectors and can participate in the Identity Ecosystem if they so 

choose A public-private steering group will ensure that accreditation authorities maintain the minimum 

requirements of the Identity Ecosystem Framework when they issue trustmarks 
naTional STr aT Egy for Tr uSTEd idEn T i T iE S in Cy bEr SpaC E

★ ★ 26

Figure 4 illustrates multiple trust frameworks built upon the foundation of the Identity Ecosystem 

Framework This baseline ensures underlying interoperability such that credentials can be relied upon 

even when the participants are in different trust frameworks 

Figure 4: The Identity Ecosystem

The accreditation process and trustmarks can foster trust among all Identity Ecosystem participants The 

trustmark is a mechanism for efficiently communicating the policies and technologies that a participant 

supports For individuals, the trustmark is a simple alternative to reading documents like terms of service 

or detailed privacy policies: it can provide an easy means of identifying service providers who abide by 

a set of uniform policies 

In the hospital example discussed above, trusted relationships exist among Keisha, John, John’s hospital, Keisha’s cell phone carrier, and John’s primary care clinic because they all are part of the Identity 

Ecosystem Keisha has the confidence to check John’s test results on the hospital website (the RP) 

because she validates that the hospital, cell phone provider, and primary care physician all have a 

trustmark, which signifies that they adhere to the Identity Ecosystem Framework 

She knows that she can supply only minimal personal information because the hospital requires only 

the information necessary to complete the transaction Privacy enhancing technology enables the cell 

phone provider to issue a credential that the hospital can validate without contacting the cell phone 

provider, so Keisha does not leave traces of her online activities for all the participants to aggregate into 

a complete picture of her life Under the baseline privacy policies of the Identity Ecosystem Framework, 

the participants manage and protect the personal information that they do maintain about her 
T hE i d En T i Ty ECo S ySTEm

★ ★ 27

The accreditation authority validates that the hospital meets the standards of the trust framework (and 

thus of the Identity Ecosystem Framework) Likewise, the accreditation authority assessed and validated 

the woman’s cell phone carrier as an identity provider, and it validated the physician’s clinic as an attribute 

provider As a result, the participants in the trust framework could securely and conveniently provide a 

valued online service to Keisha The combination of these participants, the standards and agreements 

between them, and the underlying technologies form the Identity Ecosystem 

★ ★ 29

goals and objectives

In order to fulfill the vision of this Strategy, the Nation must achieve the following goals:

• Develop a comprehensive Identity Ecosystem Framework 

• Build and implement interoperable identity solutions 

• Enhance confidence and willingness to participate in the Identity Ecosystem 

• Ensure the long-term success and viability of the Identity Ecosystem 

The first two goals focus on designing and building the necessary policy and technology to deliver 

trusted online services The third goal encourages adoption, including the use of education and awareness efforts The fourth goal promotes the continued development and enhancement of the Identity 

Ecosystem For each goal, there are objectives that enable the achievement of the goal by addressing 

barriers in the current environment 

These goals will require the active collaboration of all levels of government and the private sector The 

private sector will be the primary developer, implementer, owner, and operator of the Identity Ecosystem, 

which will succeed only if it serves as a platform for innovation in the market The Federal Government 

will enable the private sector and will lead by example through the early adoption and provision of 

Identity Ecosystem services It will partner with the private sector to develop the Identity Ecosystem, 

and it will ensure that baseline levels of security, privacy, and interoperability are built into the Identity 

Ecosystem Framework 

Goal 1: Develop a comprehensive Identity Ecosystem Framework.

The Identity Ecosystem Framework is the overarching set of interoperability standards, risk models, 

privacy and liability policies, requirements, and accountability mechanisms that govern the Identity 

Ecosystem It will guide the development of individual trust frameworks and will be flexible enough to 

accommodate the varied needs of Identity Ecosystem participants 

Objective 1.1: Establish improved privacy protection mechanisms.

The Identity Ecosystem Framework must offer individuals better means of protecting their privacy by 

establishing clear rules and guidelines based upon the FIPPs These rules and guidelines must address 

not only the circumstances under which a service provider or relying party may share information but 

also the kinds of information that they may collect and how that information is used New privacy protections will shift the current model of application-specific collection of identity information to a distributed, 

user-centric model that supports an individual’s capability to manage an array of cyber identities and to 

manage and assert personal attributes without having to provide identifying data The new model will 

reduce the number of service providers with whom individuals must share their personal information 

in the course of everyday transactions 
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★ ★ 30

The Executive Branch of the Federal Government will work with the private sector and, if necessary, 

propose legislation to strengthen privacy protections for individuals These protections will enable 

individuals to form consistent expectations about the treatment of their information in cyberspace 

Although individuals will retain the right to exchange their personal information in return for services 

they value, these protections will ensure that the default behavior of Identity Ecosystem providers is to:

• Limit the collection and transmission of information to the minimum necessary to fulfill the 

transaction’s purpose and related legal requirements; 

• Limit the use of the individual’s data that is collected and transmitted to specified purposes; 

• Limit the retention of data to the time necessary for providing and administering the services to 

the individual end-user for which the data was collected, except as otherwise required by law; 

• Provide concise, meaningful, timely, and easy-to-understand notice to end-users on how providers collect, use, disseminate, and maintain personal information; 

• Minimize data aggregation and linkages across transactions;

• Provide appropriate mechanisms to allow individuals to access, correct, and delete personal 

information; 

• Establish accuracy standards for data used in identity assurance solutions; 

• Protect, transfer at the individual’s request, and securely destroy information when terminating 

business operations or overall participation in the Identity Ecosystem; 

• Be accountable for how information is actually used and provide mechanisms for compliance, 

audit, and verification; and

• Provide effective redress mechanisms for, and advocacy on behalf of, individuals who believe 

their data may have been misused 

Objective 1.2: Establish comprehensive identification and authentication standards based on 

defined risk models.

Risk models provide a common understanding of the level of assurance required for a type of transaction, based upon the threats to that type of transaction and the potential severity of their impact For 

example, the level of authentication required for online banking is likely to differ from that required to 

access an online magazine subscription Technical and policy standards based on these risk models 

will define how to remotely authenticate and manage the digital identities of subjects, including the 

management of personal information in accordance with privacy laws and best practices 

The Federal Government will facilitate private-sector efforts to establish these risk models and standards 

in accord with the vision of the Strategy The effort to develop technical standards should use open, transparent fora and leverage existing, market-recognized guidance on assessing required authentication 

levels It should also be informed by and, when possible, seek alignment with international efforts Both 

technical and policy standards must enable consistency and interoperability while remaining flexible 

enough to adapt as security threats evolve and the market innovates They must also take individual 
goalS and objECTivE S

★ ★ 31

privacy protection into consideration, ensuring that resulting standards have privacy “built in ” These 

technical and policy standards will establish a cross-sector baseline of interoperability and behavior, 

and they will enhance the confidence of businesses seeking to invest in identity solutions The ultimate 

goal of risk-based models and assessment tools will be to support the decisions that organizations make 

to determine how they will operate within the Identity Ecosystem Developing standards that cover 

interoperability requirements, trustmark criteria, and accreditation will pave the way for choice across 

solutions, ultimately accelerating Identity Ecosystem adoption 

Objective 1.3: Define participant responsibilities in the Identity Ecosystem and establish mechanisms to provide accountability.

The Identity Ecosystem Framework will define the minimum rights and responsibilities of the various 

participants in the Identity Ecosystem and establish consequences for those that do not uphold their 

responsibilities As part of defining these responsibilities, the Identity Ecosystem Framework must 

establish the accountability and remediation process when an identity credential is fraudulently issued 

or used or when other breakdowns in the Identity Ecosystem occur To date, these concerns have been a 

barrier to the development of widespread identity and authentication solutions at all levels of assurance 

These concerns affect both individuals and service providers The Identity Ecosystem Framework must 

in general protect individuals from unbounded liability and in particular ensure that individuals are not 

held liable for losses that they were powerless to prevent The Identity Ecosystem Framework should 

also clarify service provider accountability in order to overcome the uncertainty and fear of unbounded 

liability that have limited the market’s growth For example, it must answer questions such as whether 

or not identity providers should have legal protection if they have complied with the defined standards 

and credentials are nonetheless issued or used incorrectly 

The Federal Government may need to establish or amend both policies and laws to address these 

concerns Multiple entities currently enforce online security and privacy standards in a distributed 

fashion across both government and the private sector Any new laws and policies must maintain the 

flexibility of this approach, while harmonizing a diverse and sometimes conflicting set of requirements 

that currently prevent interoperability and trust across communities 

Objective 1.4: Establish a steering group to administer the standards development and accreditation process for the Identity Ecosystem Framework.

The policy and technical standards necessary for the Identity Ecosystem may be developed in different 

fora A steering group will thus administer the process for policy and technical standards development 

for the Identity Ecosystem Framework The group will bring together all of the interested stakeholders 

to ensure that the Identity Ecosystem Framework provides a minimum baseline of privacy, security, and 

interoperability through standards, policies, and laws—without creating unnecessary barriers to entry 

The steering group will work diligently to follow the Guiding Principles in this Strategy; it will organize 

and conduct itself in the spirit of those principles, as the inclusive, transparent, pragmatic, and committed leadership group building toward the Strategy’s vision To that end, the steering group will also set 

milestones and measure progress against them The steering group will also ensure that accreditation 

authorities validate participants’ adherence to the requirements of the Identity Ecosystem Framework 
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★ ★ 32

Goal 2: Build and implement the Identity Ecosystem.

The Identity Ecosystem Framework includes the standards, policies, and laws that serve as a platform 

for the Identity Ecosystem; however, it is not the Ecosystem The Identity Ecosystem must be built and 

implemented, primarily by the private sector, with interoperable identity solutions that are aligned with 

the Identity Ecosystem Framework 

Objective 2.1: Implement the private-sector elements of the Identity Ecosystem. 

The Strategy can only succeed if the private sector voluntarily implements the Identity Ecosystem and 

only if it makes business sense to do so The vast majority of the Identity Ecosystem will be built by the 

private sector, and almost all of the Identity Ecosystem’s subjects, relying parties, identity providers, 

attribute providers, and accreditation authorities will be in the private sector 

The private sector is already providing many services that, if they choose, could be a part of the Identity 

Ecosystem We encourage these providers to participate in the development of the Identity Ecosystem 

Framework and the implementation of the Identity Ecosystem, to ensure that both incorporate these 

providers’ knowledge and experience 

To support the private sector, the Federal Government will work to promote and incentivize both innovation in the marketplace and the private sector’s implementation of the Identity Ecosystem in accordance 

with the Identity Ecosystem Framework 

Objective 2.2: Implement the state, local, tribal, and territorial government elements of the 

Identity Ecosystem.

State, local, tribal, and territorial governments have a significant role in building the Identity Ecosystem 

These levels of government may at times act as identity or attribute providers They will also offer services 

online as relying parties and, as subjects, will use services provided by others 

These levels of government have a high level of interaction with their constituents, and they have a 

unique insight into the needs of individuals and local organizations Their participation in the Identity 

Ecosystem will significantly increase the value that it provides to the Nation 

Similar to its efforts with the private sector, the Federal Government will promote and incentivize 

all levels of governments’ implementation of the Identity Ecosystem in accordance with the Identity 

Ecosystem Framework 

Objective 2.3: Implement the Federal Government elements of the Identity Ecosystem.

The Federal Government will also implement the Identity Ecosystem In the areas where it has unique 

capabilities, the Federal Government may act as an identity or attribute provider It will also offer services 

online as a relying party and, as a subject, will use services provided by others 

The Federal Government must continue to lead by example and be an early adopter of identity solutions that align with the Identity Ecosystem Framework By adopting Identity Ecosystem solutions as a 

service provider, the Federal Government will raise individual’s expectations and thus drive individuals’ 

demand for interoperability in their transactions with the private sector and other levels of government 
goalS and objECTivE S

★ ★ 33

As a subject, the Federal Government must also continue to leverage its buying power as a significant 

customer of the private sector to motivate the supply of these solutions 

To that end, the expansion of government services, pilots, and policies that align with the Identity 

Ecosystem should be accelerated 10 The Federal Government will continue to follow the FICAM Roadmap 

and Implementation Guidance and will build upon that work to further advance the Identity Ecosystem 

Objective 2.4: Promote the deployment of interoperable solutions to implement the Identity 

Ecosystem Framework. 

The Federal Government must promote the implementation of interoperable solutions that support 

trusted identities for online transactions The Federal Government will work with the private sector and 

all other levels of government to organize, coordinate, promote, and participate in pilot programs that 

are interoperable across sectors and that implement the Identity Ecosystem The Federal Government 

will also seek to initiate and support pilots that address the needs of individuals, the private sector, and 

of all levels of government Finally, the Federal Government will promote interoperability by sharing its 

existing and new infrastructure, such as test beds and approved products and services, with the other 

participants on the Identity Ecosystem The private sector and all levels of government should share 

information on the lessons learned from these and other implementation efforts 

Goal 3: Enhance confidence and willingness to participate in the Identity 

Ecosystem.

The greater the number of participants in the Identity Ecosystem, the greater the value that each will 

obtain from participation Individuals benefit when they can choose to use any single identity provider 

to access a large number of relying parties Relying parties benefit when they can more easily access a 

wide pool of customers The success of the Identity Ecosystem thus depends, in large part, on encouraging individuals and organizations to adopt it 

Objective 3.1: Provide awareness and education to enable informed decisions.

The public and private sector will use awareness and education programs to encourage demand for the 

Identity Ecosystem and to inform its use Awareness efforts will help inform individuals and organizations 

about the security and privacy risks associated with existing, weak authentication mechanisms These 

efforts will also communicate the benefits of the Identity Ecosystem to all of the potential participants, 

including individuals, relying parties, and potential identity and attribute providers 

Education programs will ensure that individuals know how to obtain and use Identity Ecosystem credentials For service providers, education programs can provide information on implementing Identity 

Ecosystem solutions and abiding by Identity Ecosystem policies 

10 For example, Executive Order 13556, Controlled Unclassified Information, establishes an open 

and uniform program for managing information that requires safeguarding Once implemented, this 

Executive Order will enable increased information sharing with appropriately credentialed subjects 

http://www whitehouse gov/the-press-office/2010/11/04/executive-order-controlled-unclassified-information
naTional STr aT Egy for Tr uSTEd idEn T i T iE S in Cy bEr SpaC E

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Education and awareness is an important area in which the Federal Government can assist individuals, 

other levels of government, and the private sector The Federal Government is already working to raise 

public awareness regarding cybersecurity, and these efforts should be leveraged to raise awareness 

of the Identity Ecosystem The Federal Government will work with the private sector and other levels 

of government to develop education and awareness programs and to customize them for groups like 

individuals and small businesses, who have unique needs The Federal Government will also work with 

the private sector to provide information to potential service providers, to communicate how they can 

participate in and benefit from the Identity Ecosystem 

Objective 3.2: Identify other means to drive widespread adoption of the Identity Ecosystem. 

 All levels of government can assist the private sector by helping to jumpstart the adoption of the Identity 

Ecosystem, ensuring that it becomes widespread enough to be self-sustaining In order to provide this 

jumpstart, all levels of government should work with the private sector to help identify economic incentives to encourage private-sector adoption of the Identity Ecosystem The Federal Government will also 

align identity solution requirements in existing programs against the Identity Ecosystem Finally, the 

Federal Government will evaluate regulatory changes as necessary 

Goal 4: Ensure the long-term success and sustainability of the Identity 

Ecosystem.

Over the long term, the Identity Ecosystem should become a self-sustaining marketplace, but the public 

and private sector must continue to participate in its maintenance, technical evolution, international 

integration, and adherence to the Guiding Principles 

Objective 4.1: Drive innovation through aggressive science and technology (S&T) and research 

and development (R&D) efforts.

The Identity Ecosystem is composed of technology and policy that must evolve to accommodate:

• Rapid and unanticipated advances in technologies that continuously revolutionize what can 

be done, how it is done, and who can participate in cyberspace 11

• Continuous innovation in imaginative new services, resources, and capabilities that increase 

the value of cyberspace to all sectors of society 

• Ever increasing needs and expectations for cyberspace 

As these trends constantly reshape cyberspace, the Identity Ecosystem must be continuously improved, 

stretching to meet new needs, enable new opportunities, and address future cyberspace threats This 

requires the Federal Government to work in partnership with the academic and private sectors, both 

domestic and international, on interdisciplinary S&T and R&D We need sustained, strategic investments 

to continually improve the security, reliability, resilience, and trustworthiness of the identification, 

authentication, and authorization of entities in cyberspace Moreover, these efforts should extend 

11 Revolutionizing Science and Engineering Through Cyberinfrastructure: Report of the 

National Science Foundation Blue-Ribbon Advisory Panel on Cyberinfrastructure January 2003 

http://www nsf gov/od/oci/reports/atkins pdf
goalS and objECTivE S

★ ★ 35

beyond the technical to address issues like usability, privacy, incentives, and processes The Federal 

Government will also continue to promote the transfer of government-sponsored S&T and R&D results 

to the private sector, to ensure that the Identity Ecosystem adopts and deploys the advances that 

emerge from this effort 

Objective 4.2: Integrate the Identity Ecosystem internationally. 

Given the global nature of online commerce, the Identity Ecosystem cannot be isolated from internationally available online services and their identity solutions Without compromising the guiding principles 

of the Strategy, the public and private sectors will strive to enable international interoperability In order 

for the U S to benefit from other nations’ best practices and achieve international interoperability, the 

U S public and private sectors must be active participants in international technical and policy standardization fora 

No single entity, including the Federal Government, can effectively participate in every international 

standards effort The private sector is already involved in many international standards initiatives; 

ultimately, then, the international integration of the Identity Ecosystem will depend in great part upon 

private-sector leadership To better support the private sector, the Federal Government will increase its 

prioritization, coordination, and participation in relevant international technical and policy fora 

★ ★ 37

Commitment to action

The implementation of the Identity Ecosystem will require the collaboration and joint commitment of 

both the public and private sectors This section identifies, first, the respective roles of the public and 

private sectors and, second, the Federal Government implementation activities that are critical to building and maintaining the Identity Ecosystem 

Role of the Private Sector

Only the private sector has the ability to build and operate the complete Identity Ecosystem, and the 

final success of the Strategy depends upon private-sector leadership and innovation 

The key operational roles within the Identity Ecosystem include: subjects, relying parties, identity providers, attribute providers, and accreditation authorities For each of these ecosystem roles, the private 

sector will constitute the majority of the actors For example, most identity and attribute providers will 

be private-sector organizations 

The Strategy can only succeed if the Identity Ecosystem is self-sustaining, which will require the development of business models for each of the service provider roles in the ecosystem Many of these business 

models will be entirely new, and only the private sector can provide the innovation necessary to realize 

them 

The private sector must also play a leadership role in the design and operation of the Identity Ecosystem 

The development of the Identity Ecosystem Framework and the ongoing work to maintain accountability 

to that framework will require a true public-private partnership The private sector has the insight into 

the needs of the market that is necessary to develop effective technical and policy standards for the 

Identity Ecosystem For-profit organizations can help ensure that the Identity Ecosystem Framework 

provides sustainable business models and is not an onerous burden on the private sector Advocacy 

groups and non-profits can magnify the voices of individuals and under-represented groups, and they 

can work to ensure the enhancement of privacy and to otherwise support civil liberties 

Role of the Federal Government 

The Federal Government’s role is to:

• Advocate for and protect individuals; 

• Support the private sector’s development and adoption of the Identity Ecosystem;

• Partner with the private sector to ensure that the Identity Ecosystem is sufficiently interoperable, 

secure, and privacy protecting;

• Provide and accept Identity Ecosystem services for which it is uniquely suited; and

• Lead by example and implement the Identity Ecosystem for the services it provides internally 

and externally 
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The Federal Government will support the private sector’s development and adoption of the Identity 

Ecosystem through activities such as: convening technology and policy standardization workshops, 

building consensus, establishing public policy frameworks, participating in international fora, funding 

research, supporting pilots, and initiating education and awareness efforts 

The Federal Government will partner with the private sector and participate in the development of 

the Identity Ecosystem Framework to ensure that it establishes a sufficient baseline of interoperability, 

security, and privacy The Federal Government’s role in this area is to help ensure the outcome; the 

private sector is better suited to ascertaining the means of achieving that outcome This participation 

will also enable the Federal Government to advocate for and protect individuals Among the actions 

that the Federal Government must undertake, privacy is the most important for individuals; as such the 

Federal Government will ensure that the FIPPs are effectively incorporated into the Identity Ecosystem 

Framework 

8. Envision It!

Ali wishes to fill his medical prescription online He authenticates to an online pharmacy using a small 

plastic token that he stores on his keychain Ali submits his request for the pharmacy to fill his prescription 

on their secure website 

Ali’s attribute provider provides authoritative proof that he is over 18 and that his prescription is valid Since 

the website and attribute provider are trustmarked and use privacy-enhancing technology, no unnecessary information is exchanged in this transaction The pharmacy is not told Ali’s birth date or the reason for 

the prescription The technology also filters information so that the attribute providers—the authoritative 

sources of the age and prescription information—do not know what pharmacy Ali is using 

Ali is able to quickly and easily fill his prescription online The privacy protections are conveniently built 

into the Identity Ecosystem, so Ali receives those protections automatically 

The Federal Government has a wealth of information that can be useful to the private sector, but this 

information can be scattered amongst different agencies and difficult to find To better enable the private 

sector, the Federal Government will share its best practices and lessons learned in a centralized, accessible way 

The Federal Government must continue to be a leader through its own participation in the Identity 

Ecosystem as both a subject and relying party Whenever possible, the Federal Government will use existing private-sector Identity Ecosystem solutions rather than developing or operating its own Moreover, 

it must not require levels of assurance that are excessive compared to the risk of a given transaction 

Through these actions, the Federal Government will encourage the market toward trustworthy and 

interoperable identity solutions 

The National Program Office

The Secretary of Commerce will establish within the Department of Commerce (Commerce) an interagency office to be known as the National Program Office (NPO) that is charged, consistent with statu-
CommiT m En T To aCTion

★ ★ 39

tory authorities, with achieving the goals of the Strategy The NPO will be responsible for coordinating 

the processes and activities of organizations that will implement the Strategy Commerce will host this 

interagency function, because it is uniquely suited to work with the private sector—and with government at all levels—to bring the collective expertise of the nation to bear in implementing the Strategy 

The NPO will lead the day-to-day coordination of NSTIC activities, working closely with the Cybersecurity 

Coordinator in the White House The National Program Office will: 

• Promote private-sector involvement and engagement;

• Support interagency collaboration and coordinate interagency efforts associated with achieving 

programmatic goals;

• Build consensus on policy frameworks necessary to achieve the vision; 

• Identify areas for the government to lead by example in developing and supporting the 

Identity Ecosystem, particularly in the Executive Branch’s role as a provider and validator of key 

credentials;

• Actively participate within and across relevant public- and private-sector fora; and

• Assess progress against the goals, objectives, and milestones of the Strategy and the associated 

implementation activities 

The NPO will actively seek interagency collaboration, partner with the private sector and individuals as 

necessary, harness multi-disciplinary and multi-sector contributions, and provide leadership across the 

Federal Government In addition to the NPO, the President will designate agencies as leads and partners 

with the private sector for individual tasks to fulfill the goals and objectives of this Strategy 

Role of State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments

Individuals interact with their State, local, tribal, and territorial governments as much or more than with 

the Federal Government The Identity Ecosystem can help these governments decrease their costs, even 

as they increase the services they offer their constituents online 

Much like the Federal Government, these governments are well-positioned to lead efforts to protect 

individuals, help standardize policies, and act as early adopters in the provision and consumption of 

Identity Ecosystem services As such, State, local, tribal, and territorial governments are encouraged 

to align with the Identity Ecosystem Framework and to support its establishment by participating in 

its development As a first step, these governments are encouraged to align their efforts with existing 

Federal work like the FICAM Roadmap and Implementation Guidance 

One unique strength of these governments is their more direct and personal engagement with their 

constituents The Federal Government will thus encourage them to initiate education and awareness 

efforts to engage individuals, small and local businesses, and other local organizations 
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★ ★ 40

Role of International Partners

Other nations seek to supply their constituents with the benefits of more trusted identities online, and 

many are more advanced in their efforts than the United States The public- and private-sectors’ engagement with international partners will be critical to the success of the Identity Ecosystem: the long-term 

success of the Identity Ecosystem depends upon its international interoperability 

The Federal Government will thus seek to support the private sector’s engagement in international 

fora and to improve its own direct engagement in these fora The U S approach differs from that of 

many nations, who have or are pursuing national offline and online identities The Federal Government 

explicitly rejects that approach for its own citizens but will work to help the private sector achieve 

interoperability with the policy and technical standards of other nations 

Implementation Roadmap and Federal Government Actions

Given its role as an enabler of the Identity Ecosystem, the Federal Government must organize quickly 

and prepare for the substantial public-private collaboration required to realize the Strategy’s vision As 

such, the Federal Government will develop an Implementation Roadmap that identifies and assigns 

responsibility for near- and long-term actions that the Federal Government can perform These activities will leverage existing investments, standards, and best practices from the public and private sector, 

both nationally and internationally 

The Roadmap will focus on activities that: 

• Mobilize all relevant Federal Government stakeholders to develop and support the Identity 

Ecosystem;

• Leverage existing work in government to quickly implement near-term solutions aligned with 

the Strategy;

• Remove barriers associated with the private-sector development of the Identity Ecosystem; 

• Ensure the protection of individuals in the Identity Ecosystem Framework; and

• Promote Federal alignment with the Strategy as both a service provider and a consumer of 

services provided by the private sector 

Benchmarks

The success of the Strategy and the establishment of the Identity Ecosystem can be assessed by critical 

benchmarks in the near and long term The NPO is responsible for identifying and developing specific 

objective metrics related to these benchmarks 

Interim Benchmarks (3-5 years)

The interim benchmarks reflect that the standardization of policy and technology and the initial implementation of the Identity Ecosystem will not occur overnight These benchmarks will mark the point at 

which the Identity Ecosystem reaches its initial operating capacity, within 3-5 years The benchmarks 
CommiT m En T To aCTion

★ ★ 41

incorporate critical aspects of the Identity Ecosystem, such as public- and private-sector collaboration, 

privacy protection, broad participation, and interoperability In addition, these benchmarks can be used 

to assess whether both organizations and individuals have the opportunity to realize the benefits of the 

Identity Ecosystem in the short term 

• Subjects have the ability to choose trusted digital identities:

 − For personal or business use;

 − Between at least two identity credential and media types; and

 − That are usable across multiple sectors 

• There exists a growing marketplace of both trustmarked, private-sector identity providers at 

different levels of assurance and private-sector relying parties that accept trustmarked credentials at different levels of assurance This relying party population is not confined to just one or 

two sectors 

• Trustmarked attribute providers are available to assert validated attributes Services available include the ability to assert validated attributes without providing uniquely identifiable 

information 

• The number of enrolled identities in the Identity Ecosystem is growing at a significant rate, and 

the number of authentication transactions in the Identity Ecosystem is growing at least at the 

same rate 

• Building upon FICAM, all online Federal Executive Branch services are aligned appropriately 

with the Identity Ecosystem and, where appropriate, accept identities and credentials from at 

least one of the trustmarked private-sector identity providers 

All references to a trustmark indicate that the service provider complies with the overarching set of 

interoperability standards, risk models, privacy and liability policies, requirements, and accountability 

mechanisms of the Identity Ecosystem Framework 

Longer-term Benchmarks (10 years)

After 10 years, the primary benefits of the Identity Ecosystem should be realized and it should be fully 

available to those who choose to adopt it The evolution of the Identity Ecosystem will continue long 

past this benchmark, but it must by this point be self-sustaining 

• All implementation actions are complete, and all required policies, processes, tools, and technologies are in place and continuing to evolve to support the Identity Ecosystem 

• A majority of relying parties are choosing to be part of the Identity Ecosystem 

• A majority of U S Internet users regularly engage in transactions verified through the Identity 

Ecosystem 

• A majority of online transactions are happening within the Identity Ecosystem 

• A sustainable market exists for Identity Ecosystem identity and attribute service providers 

★ ★ 43

Conclusion

Our economic, societal, and personal reliance on cyberspace will continue to grow in the years ahead, 

and with it our need to trust the identities of those with whom we interact online The protection of the 

identities of individuals and organizations while conducting online transactions is pivotal to protecting 

open commerce, promoting innovation, and securing our Nation This Strategy proposes an Identity 

Ecosystem that will encourage trusted online transactions, provide privacy enhancements and support 

civil liberties, and reduce fraud 

Ultimately, the Identity Ecosystem can only be designed and built by the private sector The Federal 

Government will support the private sector, ensure that the Identity Ecosystem respects the privacy 

and otherwise supports the civil liberties of individuals, and be a leader in implementing the Identity 

Ecosystem in its own services Existing efforts by the public and private sectors have already established services that are significant components of the Identity Ecosystem, but much remains to be done 

Individuals, businesses, non-profits, advocacy groups, associations, and all levels of government must work 

in partnership to improve how identities are trusted and used in cyberspace 

There is a compelling need to address these problems as soon as possible, making progress in the shortterm and planning for the long-term Through a collaborative effort by the public and private sectors, we 

can realize the vision and benefits of this Strategy and thus create a more secure cyberspace for our Nation 

★ ★ 45

appendix a – fair information 

practice principles (fipps)

The Fair Information Practice Principles

To truly enhance privacy in the conduct of online transactions, the Fair Information Practice Principles 

(FIPPs) must be universally and consistently adopted and applied in the Identity Ecosystem The FIPPs 

are the widely accepted framework of defining principles to be used in the evaluation and consideration 

of systems, processes, or programs that affect individual privacy 12 

In brief, the Fair Information Practice Principles are:

• Transparency: Organizations should be transparent and notify individuals regarding collection, 

use, dissemination, and maintenance of personally identifiable information (PII) 

• Individual Participation: Organizations should involve the individual in the process of using 

PII and, to the extent practicable, seek individual consent for the collection, use, dissemination, 

and maintenance of PII Organizations should also provide mechanisms for appropriate access, 

correction, and redress regarding use of PII 

• Purpose Specification: Organizations should specifically articulate the authority that permits 

the collection of PII and specifically articulate the purpose or purposes for which the PII is 

intended to be used 

• Data Minimization: Organizations should only collect PII that is directly relevant and necessary 

to accomplish the specified purpose(s) and only retain PII for as long as is necessary to fulfill the 

specified purpose(s) 

• Use Limitation: Organizations should use PII solely for the purpose(s) specified in the notice 

Sharing PII should be for a purpose compatible with the purpose for which the PII was collected 

• Data Quality and Integrity: Organizations should, to the extent practicable, ensure that PII is 

accurate, relevant, timely, and complete 

• Security: Organizations should protect PII (in all media) through appropriate security safeguards 

against risks such as loss, unauthorized access or use, destruction, modification, or unintended 

or inappropriate disclosure 

• Accountability and Auditing: Organizations should be accountable for complying with these 

principles, providing training to all employees and contractors who use PII, and auditing the 

actual use of PII to demonstrate compliance with these principles and all applicable privacy 

protection requirements 

Universal application of the FIPPs provides the basis for confidence and trust in online transactions 

12 Rooted in the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare’s seminal 1973 report, “Records, 

Computers and the Rights of Citizens” (1973), these principles are at the core of the Privacy Act of 1974 and are mirrored 

in the laws of many U S states, as well as in those of many foreign nations and international organizations A number 

of private and not-for-profit organizations have also incorporated these principles into their privacy policies See, also 

guidance at http://www dhs gov/xlibrary/assets/privacy/privacy_policyguide_2008-01 pdf