Stranger Labs awarded $197,000 to develop digital credential solution

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently awarded Stranger Labs $197,021 in Phase 1 funding.

The company will develop a method that makes digital credentials verifiable offline so they offer the same convenience of paper-based credentials.

“Balancing the usability and convenience of paper-based credentials with the security possible using strong cryptographic methods is a well-known trade-off when it comes to the adoption and daily usage of digital credentials,” Anil John, S&T Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) technical director, said. “Stranger Labs is developing technology that directly tackles this problem end-to-end while supporting broad interoperability based on emerging World Wide Web Consortium standards such as decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials.”

Based in Cambridge, Mass., Stranger Labs will create a solution that enables the exchange and verification of digital credentials without sacrificing integrity. The solution will work on multiple devices and directly between devices and with or without internet.

The Phase 1 award was under SVIP’s Preventing Forgery & Counterfeiting of Certificates and Licenses. Awards are given up to $800,000 over four phases of development.

Start-up companies must present solutions to strengthen antiforgery and anticounterfeiting for digital documentation to qualify for funding. The technologies must be able to be adapted for homeland security use.