While facial recognition, a type of  biometric validation, is commonly used with law enforcement agencies, GSA sees the Login.gov pilot as a way to further defend against sophisticated fraud and cyber threats. The work with tech equity experts will “incorporate learnings, as applicable” into the pilot, a GSA spokesperson said in an email to FedScoop, and comes after the agency conducted an equity study on remote identity proofing to “improve outreach practices, user testing and user experience for underserved communities in civic tech design.”

The goal of the upcoming pilot, which will run through the fall, is to evaluate overall user experience throughout the new workflow and to find where individuals become stuck or confused throughout the process so the “team can iteratively make improvements,” the agency spokesperson said.

“Login.gov is committed to leveraging best-in-class facial matching algorithms that, based on testing in controlled environments, have been shown to offer high-levels of accuracy in reduced algorithmic bias,” they added. 

The equity study on remote identity proofing included 4,000 participants, as of April, who were tasked with testing five different vendors for this technology. GSA plans to release a report with the results from the equity study in a peer-reviewed publication this year. 

GSA recently concluded a procurement process that expands the set of “identity vendors” that Login.gov has access to, the spokesperson said. The agency shared plans to evaluate how and when to integrate new solutions. 

“The general availability launch timing is not dependent on this integration process,” the spokesperson said. 

Candice Wright, director of the Government Accountability Office’s Science, Technology Assessment and Analytics team, said in an email to FedScoop that the GSA’s equity study on remote identity can assist the agency in ensuring that the biometric validation technology is “more accurate for all demographic groups.”

“The accuracy of biometric identification technologies is improving overall, but there are still issues with technologies that can perform less accurately for certain subgroups, such as people with darker skin,” Wright said, pointing to a recent GAO report that found comprehensive evaluations of technology as a key consideration to assist in addressing differential performance.

The biometric validation tool, the GSA spokesperson said, uses a “privacy-preserving” approach that compares a selfie that a user takes against their photo identification. The spokesperson emphasized that the data provided by the user is “protected by ensuring it will never be used for any purpose unrelated to verifying your identity” by Login.gov or the vendors with whom it works. 

Login.gov’s biometric technology will be provided by a commercial vendor that, according to the spokesperson, employs an algorithm that is considered proprietary but is one of the leading options as measured by the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT).

“Agencies could achieve more comprehensive testing by providing guidance to technology vendors so that they design their products in ways that support more standardized testing,” Wright said.

NIST’s test for vendors, which last year was split into the Face Recognition Technology Evaluation (FRTE) and Face Analysis Technology Evaluation (FATE), measures the performance of facial recognition tech as it is applied across a variety of applications, such as visa image verification, identification of child exploitation images and more. 

The GSA noted last month that the biometric validation technology is compliant with NIST’s digital identity guidelines for achieving “evidence-based remote identity verification” at the IAL2 level, or the standard that “introduces the need for either remote or physically-present identity proofing.”

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Kim has served as the website’s first deputy director since January following a five-year stint at Amazon, where she developed “cutting-edge AI-based technology to scale policy enforcement,” per a GSA email. Kim previously worked across the federal government, serving with the departments of State, Treasury and Defense.

Dan Lopez-Braus, the outgoing director of Login.gov, will transition into a senior adviser position with TTS. 

TTS Director Ann Lewis said in a statement that Kim “will lead the team to implement the recently-announced launch of an optimized pricing structure and a new pilot for selfie-based identity verification, both of which will empower even more agencies and programs to use Login.gov to benefit people nationwide.” 

The news of Kim’s appointment follows an announcement from Login.gov earlier this month that it will pilot biometric technology for identity verification. The tool would allow users to take a “selfie” as a complementary feature to the site’s efforts to protect against identity fraud attempts and cyberattacks. 

A Government Accountability Office report released Monday listed Login.gov as a federal government use case for biometric identification. The congressional watchdog said the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration use it for identity verification for members of the public to access websites and services. 

The GAO issued five recommendations for policymakers to address concerns regarding biometric technology: conducting comprehensive evaluations to provide more information about the effects of biometric tech, enacting privacy laws or guidance, offering tech users additional training and guidance on how they might select and use the biometric technology appropriately, more widespread information-sharing about the tech, and applying a “risk-based” approach in the development of regulations and guidance. 

Biometric identification tech varies in “accuracy for different populations,” the GAO stated, but  there have been advances over the past four years that have led to notable improvements.

Correction: Due to an editing error, Kim was initially identified as a deputy director for TTS rather than deputy director of TTS’ Login.gov.

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But for the General Services Administration, the decision to go all-in on AI wasn’t really up for debate.

“We’re doing this because it’s GSA’s job to have shared services for the government,” GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said Thursday. “And generative AI tools are going to be a giant help in that.”

Speaking at AIScoop’s AITalks event, Carnahan said GSA is currently operating seven different sandbox environments, and there’s “more to come” across the agency with AI. Fully embracing the technology is a matter of recognizing that public- and private-sector tech leaders are “going to decide whether we’re on the right or wrong side of history on this topic, whether we get it right for the American people,” she said. “If we do, it opens up all kinds of possibilities.”

Exploring those possibilities to the fullest extent comes down to buying “best-in-class AI technologies,” Carnahan said. The agency plans to partner closely with industry, she added, and its IT category management office within the Federal Acquisition Service is in the process of developing an acquisition resource guide for generative AI and specialized computing infrastructure. 

“This is a big deal,” Carnahan said, “because procurement officers need to know about these new technologies. A sneak peek of what you’re gonna see in there is going to identify a lot of common challenges. It’s gonna identify use cases. It’s gonna help procurement officers navigate the marketplace so the missions of these agencies can be fulfilled.” 

The GSA is also focused on highlighting products that already have FedRAMP approval, part of the newly released roadmap for the federal government’s cloud services compliance program. Carnahan said that the strategy document is aimed at making FedRAMP more scalable, more secure and easier to use.

For any budget-strapped agency considering new AI projects, Carnahan pushed the Technology Modernization Fund as a means to “go outside your budget cycle and get access to funding for these new tools.” TMF is currently soliciting proposals from agencies with ideas for AI projects. 

“We expect to see a lot of interest from across the government,” Carnahan said. “If your agency hasn’t thought about using the TMF for your AI proposals, you should do that. Now is the best time for it.”

For the GSA internally, a new Login.gov pilot leveraging facial matching technology best represents the agency’s commitment to “using technology ethically and responsibly and securely for the public good,” Carnahan said. The pilot will help people verify their identities remotely, though the GSA is pledging to minimize data retention and ensure “that personal information is protected and not shared. And it is never sold.”

This next phase of the GSA’s work on the governmentwide single sign-on and identity verification platform, which includes a partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, is emblematic of what the agency views as its mission to deliver secure and inclusive products. And although there are “precarious uncharted waters ahead” when it comes to full-scale adoption of AI tools and systems, Carnahan is bullish on the government’s prospects.

“We know that by working together through our government teams, industry teams, that we can get to the other side,” she said. “The American people are counting on us to get it right. There is no time to waste. So let’s all get to work.”

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GSA said in a release that the pilot will offer users the ability to match a “live selfie” with a self-supplied form of photo identification like a driver’s license. The agency said it will not use images “for any purpose other than verifying identity,” and reaffirmed the platform’s commitment to user privacy. 

This effort comes after the agency’s previous notice of Login.gov’s plans to use an evidence-based identity verification system that follows National Institute of Standards and Technology guidelines. GSA said at the time that the offering of biometric identification would “complement Login.gov’s already strong anti-fraud capabilities” and protect against sophisticated identity fraud attempts and cyberattacks.

Technology Transformation Services Director Ann Lewis said in the new release that GSA looks forward “to soon launching this new identity verification pathway for our agency customers that will protect user data, prevent fraud, and align with IAL2 guidelines — all while doubling down on our strong commitment to privacy, accessibility, and security.”

The GSA said the pilot will begin with interested agency partners and will look to add others over the summer. 

GSA also noted that it expects to complete an independent, third-party assessment of IAL2 compliance later this year.

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GSA’s Technology Transformation Services will roll out a “proven facial matching technology” the relies on “best-in-class facial matching algorithms” in 2024 that follows the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s 800-63-3 Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) guidelines, according to a GSA blog post.

Every Cabinet-level federal agency now uses Login.gov for secure sign-in and identity verification services in some way, according to GSA.

The addition of facial recognition is one of three new options that participating agencies can use beginning next year to verify the identity of citizens. GSA is also adding an in-person option through which users can verify their identity at a local Post Office. And, the agency will add another digital option that doesn’t use facial recognition “such as a live video chat with a trained identity verification professional,” the blog post says.

All three additional forms will be IAL2-compliant, GSA wrote.

The agency found itself in hot water earlier this year after its inspector general issued a report alleging that it misled customers by billing agencies for IAL2-compliant services, even though Login.gov did not meet those standards.

At the same time, there’s been broader controversy around the efficacy of facial recognition technologies and how the technology commonly produces biased results against minorities. Because of that, GSA in early 2022 determined it wouldn’t use facial recognition in Login.gov until it felt it could confidently do so in a responsible and equitable manner.

Earlier this month, Sonny Hashmi, commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, which houses TTS, told FedScoop how an ongoing equity study on remote identity proofing would ultimately inform the evolution of Login.gov, as well as other programs across government.

“Our hope is that as we do the study, in participation with Americans across all demographics, we get valuable data that all agencies can use to make better choices in terms of how to enable these remote biometric and digital technologies so that if there are inherent challenges for certain demographics or populations, that we can proactively address them and continue to make that access more prolific and more easy to use for all Americans,” Hashmi said on an episode of the Daily Scoop Podcast.

That study is ongoing and GSA aims to recruit as many as 4,000 participants across as many demographics as possible, he said.

“We have a responsibility as public servants to get this right. Now, ‘get this right’ means that we have to continue to increase the fidelity of the capability that we need to make available through programs such as Login.gov, to make sure that agencies can leverage and access the best-of-breed technologies when they’re looking to verify identities when they’re looking to prevent fraud in their administration of grant programs and other such programs,” Hashmi said.

He continued: “However, we need to do it thoughtfully because we don’t have the luxury of leaving parts of the population behind. We have to do it in a way that addresses, that serves all Americans equally. And that is our commitment that we have to stand by. And that requires thoughtful assessments, thoughtful analysis, and deliberate decision-making, that we can stand behind.”

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“Whenever we’re thinking about technology, we’re putting people in the middle,” GSA Deputy Administrator Katy Kale said during a panel discussion about transformative technology at the Google Public Sector Forum, presented by Scoop News Group, in Washington.

Big goals, Kale said, have to be balanced “with the responsibility that we have, especially as public servants, to make sure that the technology that we’re building works for everyone, and it’s reaching them every place that they are.”

One example Kale highlighted of GSA’s work in that vein is the beta test of Notify.gov, a text messaging service in which federal, state and tribal entities can communicate with the people they serve. 

“How are our citizens connecting with everybody that they know every day of their lives? With their phones,” Kale said, adding that the government should be the same way.

Kale also pointed to efforts to create one secure place for people to sign in and connect to agencies they need through Login.gov, which it operates, and an ongoing beta with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to connect people with SNAP benefits they’ve earned.

GSA and USDA didn’t respond to a request for comment on further details of the SNAP benefit beta.

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GSA and DOL previously piloted the use of Login.gov in Arkansas in 2022 to help more than 19,000 citizens of the state verify their identities while applying for unemployment benefits. With the expansion, announced Tuesday, the secure identity platform will be open to use by all U.S. states to “improve access, decrease fraud, and increase security in the delivery of unemployment insurance benefits,” according to an agency release.

More recently, GSA also sped up a planned partnership with the state of Hawaii to integrate Login.gov for those in need of unemployment and other benefits as a result of the Maui wildfires.

“This growing partnership will make it easier for eligible members of the public to receive unemployment benefits when they need them, and protect UI systems from potential fraud,” Andrew Stettner, deputy director for policy in DOL’s unemployment insurance modernization office, said in a statement. “We are thankful for GSA’s partnership, and particularly for the Login.gov team’s support in moving quickly to help those in need in Hawaii.”

The expanded partnership comes as new details have emerged recently about the scope of unemployment insurance fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government Accountability Office recently estimated that fraud accounted for 11-15% of the total amount of unemployment insurance benefits paid during the pandemic, totaling between $100 billion and $135 billion.

In a blog post from August, GSA says Login.gov’s identity verification process is much stronger than those knowledge-based systems used and defrauded during the pandemic. “Login.gov raises-the-bar significantly, instead using strong, evidence-based identity verification that validates state-issued IDs and ensures users have access to a phone or address associated with their name,” the post says.

GSA’s mission with Login.gov is partly to reduce such fraud but also to securely streamline access to government benefits and services in a way that Americans can use a single account to interact with multiple agencies. In essence, as the platform’s website says, it aims to be “the public’s one account for government.”

“For example, Hawaii residents impacted by the Maui fires are able to use a single Login.gov account not only to access unemployment insurance benefits but also FEMA services from the Department of Homeland Security and disaster assistance loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration,” the agency wrote in the release. “This provides disaster victims with seamless, secure, and privacy-preserving digital access to critical services when it matters most.”

The platform is also on the path to achieving IAL2-compliant identity verification. Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) is an identity proofing requirement set by NIST as part of its SP 800-63 guidance series that provides crucial technical requirements and guidance for identity proofing by government IT systems on open networks.  

GSA previously got itself into some trouble when it billed agencies for IAL2-compliant services, even though Login.gov did not meet those standards. The agency’s inspector general published a report in March claiming that GSA knowingly billed over $10 million for services provided through contracts while saying it met that higher standard of requirements.

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As part of the inquiry, the agency will study the equity of certain remote identity-proofing technologies that the American public may use when accessing federal benefits. GSA plans to release a report with the results from the study in a peer-reviewed publication in 2024.

The study comes after major concerns over equity were one of several concerns raised by a May watchdog report highlighting failures in the development of GSA’s Login.gov facial recognition platform. According to that report, the concerns were a key reason for delaying the system rollout to certain government customers.    

In a note on LinkedIn announcing the study, Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at GSA Sonny Hashmi said: “This is an important study and initiative to test and validate facial recognition and matching algorithms and technology to identify barriers across demographic lines.” 

“The results will not only inform government strategy moving forward, but will also lower barriers for more Americans when they interact with their government digitally,” he added.

In recent years, government watchdogs and independent nonprofits have long raised concerns about the potential for facial recognition technology used by federal agencies to encode racial bias. In 2019, the GAO called on law enforcement agencies to further study the impact of facial recognition technology on equity.

A study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which was published in late 2019, found that facial recognition systems falsely identified African-American and Asian faces 10 times to 100 times more than Caucasian faces. According to that study, among a database of photos used by law enforcement agencies in the U.S., the highest error rates came in identifying Native Americans.

GSA is seeking prospective study participants, and anyone who takes part in the study will receive a $25 gift card. 

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The announcement comes as federal agencies face pressure to improve customer service — and as OPM continues to try to whittle down a backlog of retirement applications. Preemptively reducing errors in applications is one of the agency’s strategies for cutting down on the number of delayed applications, along with the introduction of new technology to help streamline application processing within OPM retirement services.

“OPM remains committed to helping federal employees transition from serving the American public to enjoying their hard-earned retirement,” said Kiran Ahuja, the director of OPM, in a Wednesday statement. “The purpose of these videos is to reduce login errors for federal retirees managing their retirement accounts online, and to improve responsiveness by reducing wait times at our call centers. Our goal is to make this transition for federal employees as easy as possible.”

FedScoop reported earlier this month that the Government Operations and Border Management Subcommittee, which is part of the broader Senate Committee on Homeland Security, may schedule a hearing focused on retirement application processing at OPM within the next few months.

Pending claims filed with the OPM’s retirement services division hit a six-year low in June, according to the agency.

At the same time, OPM’s announcement shows that Login.gov is continuing to gain traction. The service is already in use by several federal agencies, though it’s also faced scrutiny from lawmakers over security compliance, as FedScoop has previously reported.

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Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce, and Ranking Member Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., sent a letter to senior officials at the GSA, including those in the offices that house the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) and the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF), requesting further information to help determine the extent of misrepresentations the agency made about Login.gov. 

“While GSA took action to address this concerning matter and has accepted responsibility for the conduct of its employees, important questions remain unanswered,” reads the letter. “To assist with answering these questions, we request related documents and communications, as well as a staff-level briefing.”

In specific, the lawmakers want to better understand the extent of the misleading statements made about Login.gov in GSA’s proposal for TMF funds and the extent to which representatives of GSA made misleading statements about Login.gov during the FedRAMP authorization process.

As part of an investigation that has run since last April, GSA’s Office of the Inspector General found in March that the agency knowingly billed agencies more than $10 million for Identity Assurance Level 2-compliant services, even though Login.gov did not meet IAL2 standards.

IAL2 is an identity proofing requirement set by NIST as part of its SP 800-63 guidance series that provides crucial technical requirements and guidance for identity proofing by government IT systems on open networks.  

During a House Oversight and Accountability Committee meeting in March, Republicans blasted GSA, accusing leaders of criminal fraud and calling to prosecute those responsible for the misrepresentations. Agency leaders received scrutiny from both sides of the aisle as Democratic lawmakers also raised concerns about discrimination and racial bias issues associated with the platform.

In the letter, Sessions and Mfume called on GSA to provide a staff-level briefing in front of Congress before July 10 regarding the agency’s misrepresentations.

“The briefing should provide an update on how, or whether, Login.gov intends to become compliant with NIST IAL2 standards, as well as an explanation of the active Request for Information on Next Generation Identity Proofing for GSA/Technology Transformation Services Login.gov,” the letter said. “This update should include, at a minimum, an initial overview of the feedback received regarding the draft requirements and preliminary acquisition strategy for the procurement of Login.gov’s Next Generation Identity Proofing Solutions.”

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