Archive for July, 2010

Draft NSTIC Request

The White House and Department of Homeland Security have recently released a public draft of the National Strategy for Trusted Identity in Cyberspace (NSTIC). The NSTIC outlines an ambitious identity management strategy for the United States, but public discussion has been extremely limited. The NSTIC is a very significant policy document which may have an impact on internet commerce, online speech, identity management, identity trust frameworks, and online anonymity. We, the undersigned, are concerned that the current public comment period is insufficient for a policy document of this magnitude and request an extension of the public comment period in order to pursue public dialog.

A policy of this magnitude should be given at least a 90 day public comment period. However, public discussion has been limited and the discussion period is almost over. Therefore, we request that the public comment period be extended for at least 30 days to facilitate more robust public discussion. We also request that subsequent public comment periods on this topic extend for at least 90 days.

We are concerned that the NSTIC is silent on an implementation timeline and other significant details currently missing from the draft. We request clarification on the agency’s proposed timeline and process. We also request an opportunity to convene an in-person discussion with an appropriate White House or DHS official to discuss this important matter and engage in further public discussion.

We look forward to supporting your efforts to engage a robust public discussion on the NSTIC.

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