Two tech industry groups are pushing the federal government to take a “technology-neutral approach” to digital identity in a recent letter to top White House leaders.

The Software Alliance — also known as BSA — and the Enterprise Cloud Coalition asked top White House actors to “reaffirm” a commitment to “technology neutrality” for digital identity in a Feb. 3 letter shared with FCW to Chris Inglis, the national cyber director who just announced his retirement; Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging tech; and Eugene Sperling, American Rescue Plan coordinator…

At stake for industry vendors is both the extent to which government agencies are encouraged to look to the market for identity solutions as well as the extent to which GSA itself goes to industry to power Login.gov. Industry “can’t come out and say no, because they all see this as a chance for them to make money working with Login.gov, but … they also want to sell their own identity proofing products to the federal government and the state and local [governments], so it’s a weird, delicate dance,” a former administration official who has worked on identity issues in multiple agencies told FCW. The individual asked not to be named as they were not authorized to speak to press in their current role.

“This letter reflects BSA’s view that the U.S. government should continue to support an open marketplace for digital identity solutions,” Henry Young, director of the alliance, told FCW via email. “The U.S. government should not select either a specific solution developed by industry or one the government develops itself because it inhibits innovative approaches to cybersecurity.” … Read the full article here.