US lawmakers are pointing to mobile digital identity and device biometrics as practical tools to reduce fraud and online scams. Representative Bill Foster of Illinois and Representative Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania discussed the topic during a policy event hosted by the Bank Policy Institute and The Hill, with coverage published on December 18, 2025.
Their case centered on the weakness of knowledge-based checks, such as passwords and personal-information questions, which are routinely compromised and reused at scale. Instead, they argued for digital credentials stored on smartphones and protected by the security hardware built into modern devices, with user access gated by Face ID, fingerprint recognition, or similar biometric unlock methods.
In the model described, government-issued documents such as passports and REAL ID-compliant credentials could be converted into cryptographically protected digital credentials on a phone. The idea is that a verified credential should be bound to a specific device and presented in a way that is difficult to copy or replay, rather than relying on static data that can be stolen and circulated.
Foster also emphasized attribution: making it easier to tie a transaction to a real, legally traceable person. By combining device binding with a biometric unlock event, the approach aims to raise the cost of impersonation and make large-scale fraud harder to execute anonymously.
The discussion referenced the fraud losses seen during COVID-era government relief programs as an example of what weak online identity verification can enable. Foster contrasted that experience with jurisdictions that have established digital identity frameworks, where benefits fraud at scale is harder to pull off.
While the lawmakers did not outline a specific bill, the exchange suggests bipartisan interest in strengthening digital identity infrastructure without creating a standalone national ID card. The conversation also pointed to private-sector momentum, including Apple’s move to support digital IDs in Apple Wallet.
Sources: Bank Policy Institute, Payments Dive, Apple Newsroom, TSA, YouTube
By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
