I am excited and honored to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of ID.me and the relentless work we do to keep people safe. Today, ID.me is the largest digital identity wallet in the United States, trusted by millions to verify their identities and access essential services seamlessly and safely.
Our mission is clear: Make the world a more trusted place by delivering the highest level of security with the least amount of friction. Our digital wallet provides safe, convenient login by enabling your credentials—be they your photo ID, proof of military service, or community status—to move with you wherever you go online.
As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, I want to reflect on our journey, including our humble beginnings, the impact we’ve made since, and the exciting road ahead.
Looking Back: ID.me’s Journey
As a scout/sniper platoon leader, I led kill/capture missions against senior Al Qaeda leadership in Iraq and ran down bomb networks to prevent mass casualties. It was the toughest job I’ve ever had, and instilled a strong sense of purpose in serving and protecting people.
This sense of purpose carried over and ID.me’s story began when I watched a military veteran pull out his DD214 separation paperwork just to claim a discount at a restaurant. The document contained far more information than necessary to verify military service—Social Security number, date of birth, home address and more. It was an unnecessary risk, but one that many veterans felt they had to take. It’s also one of the reasons why veterans are twice as likely as the general population to be victims of scams, including identity theft and financial fraud.
I immediately felt the same rush that I felt when I was in active military — I felt compelled to protect service members by creating a safer way for them to access the benefits they’ve earned. I founded ID.me on February 2, 2010 to help individuals verify their identity securely while controlling their own data. We launched as TroopSwap, a daily deal platform for the military community, before evolving into Troop ID, which provided digital identity verification for military members and veterans.
In 2013, we took a major step forward, rebranding as ID.me with the vision of building a secure identity wallet for all Americans. That same year, we received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop and test online identification technology.
By 2014, ID.me accredited against the LOA3 federal standards for authentication for login and ID verification. We secured a contract with the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide digital identity credentials for government resources, as well as our first federal contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2016. We deployed secure authentication on VA.gov, helping veterans access benefits safely online.
In 2017, ID.me became the first identity provider to deploy FIDO U2F security keys in the government sector, providing phishing-resistant authentication for federal agencies and strengthening protections against identity fraud. By 2018, ID.me achieved NIST Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) and Authenticator Assurance Level 2 (AAL2) certification, validating our ability to meet rigorous federal security standards.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the need for secure login and digital identity verification became more urgent than ever. Unemployment systems were overwhelmed, fraud surged, and millions of Americans needed a fast, reliable way to prove their identity and receive benefits. ID.me rapidly scaled operations to meet a national crisis. Seven states credited ID.me with stopping over $270 billion worth of unemployment fraud, including $125 billion in California.
Today, ID.me has grown into a trusted solution for 20 federal agencies, 44 state agencies, 66 healthcare organizations, and 600+ consumer brands. ID.me has over 139 million users of its digital wallet, with over 65 million of these users verified to the federal standards of IAL2/AAL2 consumer authentication.
Looking ahead: A Simpler, Safer Internet
We are working toward a future in which signing up for an ID.me digital wallet is the last time our users need to create a login. A single, secure digital identity wallet should work across government, healthcare, consumer brands, and beyond–enabling both safety and convenience, and eliminating the need to manage dozens of passwords.
As ID.me forges new partnerships and reaches more Americans, this future draws closer. In 2024, we worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on its Tribal CX Pilot to improve access to grants for tribal communities and with OtisHealth to streamline access to patient health information. We also strengthened identity verification in sports and entertainment through partnerships with the Detroit Pistons and Florida Gators. And we continue to build on our success with government agencies like the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), where ID.me has helped increase adoption of online claims filing and reduce call volume by 60%.
Security and privacy will remain at the core of our work. We continue to leverage advanced technologies to stay ahead of emerging threats like AI-driven fraud and deepfakes. Our Privacy Bill of Rights is our enduring commitment to ensuring users retain control of their own data.
Thank You
None of this would be possible without the incredible team behind ID.me. I’m grateful to our supportive board and every member of our team for their commitment to building a better digital world for our members.
Fifteen years in, ID.me is just getting started. Together, we are building the identity layer of the internet, one secure login at a time.
