The National Institute of Standards and Technology has awarded $9 million in grants to five collaborative groups, including one for healthcare exchange, to demonstrate how online transactions can be secure and private as part of the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace.
Resilient Network Systems Inc., which received $2 million for healthcare and education pilots, is developing a trust network built around encryption technology to deliver multi-factor, on-demand identity proofing and authentication, according to a Sept. 20 NIST announcement. The trust network connects users to reusable trust services from third parties.
Resilient will partner with the American Medical Association, Aetna, the American College of Cardiology, ActiveHealth Management, Medicity, LexisNexis, NaviNet, the San Diego Beacon eHealth Community, Gorge Health Connect, the Kantara Initiative and the National eHealth Collaborative.
The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) is a White House initiative to work with the private sector, advocacy groups and government agencies to develop identity credentials that are easy to use and interoperable in order to access online services that promote privacy, choice and innovation.
The national strategy for trusted identities envisions an “identity ecosystem” in which technologies, policies and standards support greater trust and security when individuals, businesses and other organizations conduct sensitive transactions online.
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The five groups receiving grants will pilot identity tools that increase confidence in online transactions, prevent identity theft and offer individuals more control over how they share their personal information.
“These five pilots take the vision and principles embodied in the NSTIC and translate them directly into solutions that will be deployed into the marketplace,” said Jeremy Grant, senior executive advisor for identity management and head of the NSTIC National Program Office, which is led by NIST.
The demonstrations will both promote innovation in online identity management and inform the work of the Identity Ecosystem Steering Group, which was formed last month and comprises volunteer companies, organizations and individuals to advance the creation of standards and policies that will accelerate an identity ecosystem.
