Children’s Health Defense (CHD) today sent a letter to U.S. regulatory authorities urging them to ensure that digital ID systems — if adopted at all — remain voluntary and optional for citizens.
The move follows the Biden administration’s release last month of a national cybersecurity plan that includes a strategic initiative to develop a “digital identity ecosystem.”
Biden’s initiative relies on the work of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST), the federal agency charged with providing “technical requirements for federal agencies implementing digital identity services.”
NIST, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, plans to publish a revised edition of its digital identity guidelines later this year.
Miriam Eckenfels-Garcia, director of CHD’s Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) & Wireless program, said when the agency revises its guidelines, it must clarify that digital IDs must be voluntary and optional.
