Explaining International IT Application Leadership: Electronic Identification Systems

It has been more than a decade since President Clinton signed the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN), but little has been done since then to create an electronic ID system. Are we ever going to have the ability to securely sign electronic documents and authenticate to online services? Countries around the world are implementing electronic ID systems to enable their citizens to benefit more from the digital economy, to vote via the Internet and to combat identity theft. But the United States lags woefully behind. Recently, the White House released the "National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace" (NSTIC) with the intent of creating an electronic ID system and to spur innovation in online identification. Will that strategy be enough?

To understand how the U.S. can invigorate digital commerce, and make life online more secure and convenient, ITIF releases a report. This report is the most comprehensive review to date of the strategies of various countries for establishing secure electronic ID systems and insights on what the U.S. can learn from these experiences.