The Department of Commerce has announced plans to create a "National Program Office" to develop a more secure and standardized means of online authentication and transactions.
Commerce said the office would coordinate federal activities needed to implement a "National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace" – NSTIC, a White House initiative aimed at establishing identity solutions and privacy-enhancing technologies that will make the online environment more secure and convenient for consumers.
The office will also serve as the point of contact to bring the public and private sectors together to meet this challenge, it said.
It said that as the federal coordinator the office would also collaborate with other federal partners, including DHS and GSA on NSTIC implementation, as well as build consensus on legal and policy frameworks necessary to achieve the NSTIC vision, work with industry to identify where new standards or collaborative efforts may be needed, support collaboration within the government, and promote pilot projects and other NSTIC implementations.