FIDO can provide easier, faster sign-ins for citizen services and to government employee applications – while protecting them against phishing and credential reuse

Enterprises and governments around the globe are turning to modern online authentication solutions featuring FIDO specifications based on public key cryptography for easier and phishing-resistant authentication. Notably, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), refers to FIDO security keys as the gold standard of MFA1

Read on to learn more about how FIDO and passkeys can fit into government ecosystems for phishing-resistant authentication for citizens and employees alike.

FIDO for Citizen Access to e-Government Services 

Several governments globally have deployed and/or supported FIDO authentication for citizens to securely conduct government transactions, including making tax payments and applying for and accessing government benefits. Governments leveraging FIDO authentication solutions have realized reduced operational costs and increased consumer satisfaction.

Policymakers and department/agency heads seeking to learn about FIDO authentication to support or deploy FIDO for e-government services should start with these resources:

FIDO for Employee Access to Government Applications

For government entities around the globe, FIDO can provide a phishing-resistant and simpler method for employees to access government applications.FIDO can also complement existing technologies with governments such as PKI. Government agency/departments heads interested in learning more about FIDO and passkeys should start with these resources:

FIDO in US Government 

The U.S. government has embraced FIDO authentication, and requested guidance around how to implement FIDO into the government’s existing PIV-centric ecosystem used to manage enterprise access for government employees and contractors. 

To provide this guidance, the FIDO Alliance published a paper, “FIDO Alliance Guidance for U.S. Government Agency Deployment of FIDO Authentication.”

FIDO & Public Policy

Through its working groups and member public policy leads, the FIDO Alliance engages in meaningful discussion with policymakers around the world on how FIDO specifications offer newer, better options for strong authentication, and recommends associated policy updates.

Policymakers working on authentication requirements can request a briefing from the FIDO Alliance by filling out the form here.

To view FIDO Alliance policy documents, visit FIDO Alliance Policy Documents.

Governments all around the world are deploying FIDO. Learn about them on the FIDO Government Deployments page.