No-Contact Government Means More Than Just Online Services

Congress should establish an e-government modernization fund for federal, state, and local agencies to upgrade their IT systems.

To Do: Establish an E-government Modernization Fund

To ensure the federal government does not waste tax dollars on ineffective or biased systems, Congress should direct GSA to work with NIST to set performance standards for facial recognition technology procured by the federal government.

To Do: Set Performance Standards for Federal Facial Recognition Technology

Congress should pass the Improving Digital Identity Act to coordinate a government-wide effort to promote digital identity use in the public and private sectors.

To Do: Promote Digital IDs

Congress should fund a government blockchain pilot projects program to accelerate the technology’s deployment, thereby creating more opportunities for automation and digitalization throughout the economy.

To Do: Fund a Government Blockchain Pilot Program

The government should spur the supply of e-IDs by directing a federal agency to offer them to U.S. residents for a reasonable fee.

To Do: Offer Electronic IDs to People Who Want Them

Congress should accelerate the adoption of mobile payment technology by standardizing banking regulations, encouraging new services through fintech regulatory sandboxes, and facilitating mobile payment options for such government services as transit. 

To Do: Accelerate Adoption of Mobile Payments

ITIF hosted a video webinar where panelists offered different perspectives about how policymakers should strike the right balance on privacy, both during and after a pandemic.

How Much Privacy Should We Trade to Survive a Pandemic?

Congress should establish a warrant requirement to track the movements of individuals by any means, including with facial recognition systems, mobile phones, GPS trackers, or license plate readers.

To Do: Make Agencies Use Contactless Biometrics

Recommendation

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Editors’ Recommendations

Digital Policy for Physical Distancing: 28 Stimulus Proposals That Will Pay Long-Term Dividends

Related

No-Contact Government Means More Than Just Online Services

To Do: Establish an E-government Modernization Fund

To Do: Set Performance Standards for Federal Facial Recognition Technology