Digital credentials are essential for individuals navigating complex systems like cross-border travel, immigration, and employment verification. However, ensuring privacy, security, and interoperability throughout these processes can be challenging. In response, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through its Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP), launched an initiative to develop a set of tools that will help protect individuals' privacy when using digital credentials when traveling.

SpruceID is proud to partner with DHS in a groundbreaking initiative to enhance the security and privacy of digital credentials, leveraging cutting-edge technology and global standards to build a robust, interoperable system that protects user data across borders and industries.

Using digital credentials for cross-border travel can raise several security challenges. From interoperability and standards mismatch to a lack of user control over data, these issues can result in identity theft, fraud, and security vulnerabilities that create opportunities for exploitation.

In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new solicitation to create, improve, and implement a new set of tools to protect individuals' privacy when using digital credentials for scenarios such as travel, immigration and citizenship status, employment, residency status, and more.

The solicitation, called the Privacy Preserving Digital Credential Wallets & Verifiers topic call, is administered by S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) and looked for cutting-edge solutions that could support a privacy-preserving digital credentialing ecosystem for DHS components and offices such as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the DHS Privacy Office (PRIV). As stated by Melissa Oh, SVIP managing director:

SpruceID is thrilled to have been selected with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on the initiative to bring convenience, security, and privacy to individuals using digital versions of credentials issued for immigration and travel.

SpruceID’s open-source libraries will be used to build digital credential wallets and verifier capabilities to support standards while ensuring safe usage and interoperability across sectors like finance, healthcare, and various cross-border applications. As part of Phase 1 of this initiative, we are enhancing our digital wallet and verifier capabilities to better support W3C VCDM and W3C DID standards for enterprise and public sector environments, prioritizing user privacy and security.

The initiative leads with privacy at the forefront, requesting privacy-preserving components to directly integrate into credentialing systems enabled by the World-Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Verifiable Credential Data Model (VCDM) and W3C Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) standards utilized by DHS digital credentialing systems. These requirements ensure that DHS digital credential wallets and verifiers (both DHS and non-DHS) incorporate and rely upon open, global standards.

W3C is a global standards development organization that manages the development of open standards, ensuring interoperability, accessibility, internationalization, privacy, and security. Both SpruceID and DHS participate as W3C members to ensure that relevant security and privacy criteria for real-world use cases are incorporated into the standards development process.

We are committed to driving innovation in this space, ensuring that individuals can safely and securely manage their digital identities in various contexts, from cross-border travel to employment and beyond. Follow along with each phase of our collaboration with DHS and other industry leaders as we develop solutions that enhance privacy, interoperability, and security.