Executive Order on Fortifying Digitized Identification Security and Safeguards Under Biden's Administration
In a significant shift from the previous administration, the Biden administration's executive order has emphasised the importance of securing digital identity practices and strengthening cybersecurity measures. The new order focuses on privacy-preserving digital identities, such as mobile driver's licenses (mDLs), and promotes interoperable digital identity systems.
The Biden executive order, issued earlier this year, encouraged the use of digital identity documents to enhance government efficiency and reduce fraud. However, it stopped short of mandating a comprehensive federal digital identity infrastructure.
Following Biden's term, the Trump administration issued a new executive order in mid-2025 that rolled back many of the Biden-era digital identity initiatives. The order dismissed digital ID initiatives, citing concerns about increased risks of fraud and improper benefit access.
Despite this rollback, the General Services Administration (GSA) remains focused on advancing mobile driver’s licenses as a future priority for digital identity verification. The GSA emphasises the potential of mDLs to better protect against fraud and align federal strategies with state and industry standards, while strengthening privacy and public trust.
Key current priorities include:
- Strengthening cybersecurity broadly, with emphasis on software supply chain security, cloud security, and quantum-resistant cryptography.
- Promoting flexibility for agencies rather than strict mandates on digital identity frameworks, allowing guidance and agency discretion over prescriptive digital ID rules.
- Supporting the adoption of mobile driver’s licenses and digital identity proofing as critical steps forward, with a focus on balancing privacy, security, and fraud prevention.
- Maintaining a more limited federal role in digital identity mandates, with no immediate plan to create a unified federal digital identity infrastructure.
The draft executive order also encourages cooperation between federal agencies and private sector partners to effectively detect fraudulent activity early. The order calls for stronger secure software development practices to address vulnerabilities in third-party software used by federal systems. The executive order mandates regular security assessments for open-source software to address vulnerabilities.
The order aims to address interoperability issues in mDLs by mandating federal acceptance of digital IDs, expanding their use across state and federal jurisdictions. Identity theft and synthetic identity fraud are pervasive issues in the U.S., with millions of Americans falling victim each year.
In conclusion, while the Biden administration sought to revive efforts around secure digital identity to improve government service access and fraud prevention, the current federal approach under the Trump administration prioritises cybersecurity resilience with less emphasis on federal digital ID mandates, endorsing state-led innovations such as mDLs and focusing on safeguarding privacy and security through guidance rather than requirements.
- The GSA, in resolution with the current federal approach, prioritizes the advancement of mobile driver’s licenses as a future priority for digital identity verification, emphasizing their potential to better protect against fraud, align federal strategies with state and industry standards, while strengthening privacy and public trust.
- To combat interoperability issues in mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs), the draft executive order encourages federal acceptance of digital IDs, aiming to expand their use across state and federal jurisdictions, thereby addressing fraudulent activities and mitigating identity theft.
