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Overview

We’re working to bring all netizens – consumers, educational institutions, online businesses and governments alike – into the thriving marketplace for strong, secure online identity credentials.

Overview

The Identity Ecosystem Steering Group (IDESG) – a voluntary, public-private partnership built around the National Strategies for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) – is the only independent body dedicated to redefining how people and organizations identify themselves online, by fostering the creation of privacy-enhancing trusted digital identities. We’re working to bring all netizens – consumers, educational institutions, online businesses and governments alike – into the thriving marketplace for strong, secure online identity credentials. 

We’re doing this through the development of the Identity Ecosystem Framework (IDEF), a protective array of standards, best practices and agreements that all IDESG participants attest that they're in compliance with. What makes this different than any effort that’s come before is that it’s wholly grounded in the NSTIC Guiding Principles. 

Developed at the behest of the President in April 2011, the NSTIC envisions an online environment where individuals can choose from a variety of credentials to use in lieu of passwords for interactions conducted across the internet. To satisfy the NSTIC – and pass muster with the IDESG’s high standards – all identity solutions must be:

  • Privacy-enhancing and voluntary;
  • Secure and resilient;
  • Interoperable; and
  • Cost-effective and easy to use.

Even More About IDESG

Led by the private sector, the IDESG is comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders, from regulated industries and IT infrastructure developers to consumer advocates, educational organizations and civil liberties groups. The IDESG’s working groups and committees work to realize the goal of building an IDEF that can best meet all stakeholder needs with regard to privacy, security, and usability. IDESG membership is open to any individual or organization interested in crafting a framework for identity solutions.

Membership in the IDESG tops 200 organizations, both private and public, and is truly global in scope, with members representing more than 12 countries.