Department of Homeland Security S&T Launches Next Phase of Industry Competition to Develop Revolutionary Identity Verification Tech in the US

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has announced the second phase of the Remote Identity Validation Rally (RIVR), a series of challenges hosted by DHS S&T where the tech industry is invited to test, refine, and improve its ID verification technology. This next phase will focus on verifying the authenticity of identity documents. 

DHS S&T completed the first phase of the Remote Identity Validation Technology Demonstration (RIVTD) in 2024, which helped establish new benchmarks for remote identity verification technology and gave companies clear targets for improvement. This second phase challenges the private sector to deliver secure, accurate, and user-friendly technologies that can combat identity fraud when users apply for government services, open bank accounts, or verify social media accounts.

By challenging the industry to improve these technologies, DHS will be better able to crack down on a whole host of crimes that rely on ID fraud: human trafficking, bank account fraud, welfare fraud, identity theft, evading law enforcement, and others.

The second phase of this program comes after DHS successfully launched the full implementation of Real ID, helping ensure that criminals, illegal aliens, and terrorists can no longer exploit lax ID enforcement to use domestic air travel with impunity.

This program was developed in partnership with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Forensic Laboratory, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

“Since we announced the Remote Identity Validation Rally (RIVR), we’ve seen a tremendous response from technology users and developers,” said Arun Vemury, DHS S&T Senior Advisor for Biometric and Identity Technologies. “There’s clearly strong interest in a robust, collaborative process to strengthen remote identity verification and fight fraud.

“This challenge gives developers a chance to apply lessons from the Remote Identity Validation Technology Demonstration (RIVTD), refine their tools, and continue contributing to this unique public-private testing partnership.

“As we launch the second challenge, we invite developers to showcase the capabilities and performance of their document validation systems to confirm the authenticity of state-issued IDs.”

“We are proud to support the second track of the Remote Identity Validation Rally (RIVR), reflecting our unwavering commitment to combat document fraud,” said Katie Bay, Deputy Assistant Director for HSI Investigative Services. “HSI remains dedicated to collaborating with our federal partners to ensure the integrity and authenticity of identity documents, safeguarding our communities from fraud.”

Interested organizations may visit https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/remote-identity-validation-rally or contact

peoplescreening@hq.dhs.gov to register for the July 1, 2025, informational webinar.

Technology developers of remote identity validation capabilities are encouraged to participate in this RIVR track which will evaluate the ability of systems to authenticate identity documents. Applications are due by 11:59pm ET on July 18, 2025, to rivr@mdtf.org.