The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) announced they were launching a series of challenges to technology companies to develop identity verification technologies.
The Remote Identity Validation Rally would challenge established technology companies and agile startups to test, refine and improve their identity verifications solutions. By challenging the private sector to develop and improve their security solutions DHS said it hopes to accelerate the deployment of tools to reduce friction for identity verification transactions while cracking down on crimes that rely on identity fraud.
“Identity fraud doesn’t just affect government systems; it impacts the daily lives of citizens and the economic security of the private sector,” Under Secretary for Science and Technology Pedro Allende said. “Through initiatives like RIVR, S&T is serving as a catalyst. We are bringing together startups, established tech leaders, federal partners, technology developers, and globally recognized testing resources to establish a unified front against identity fraud, ensuring our digital infrastructure is both seamless and secure.”
The 2026 RIVR challenges will use staggered application timelines to home in on specific focus areas. In October of this year, applications will open for companies developing Document Validation technologies and selfie-to-document Matching systems. In November, DHS S&T will challenge organizations to produce or share examples of identify deepfake attacks and the methods used to create them, in order to develop a better dataset for testing. And in December, the agency will open applications for companies developing presentation attack detection and Biometric Deepfake Detection.
This year’s event expands on last year’s RIVR challenges by incorporating a broader set of real and fraudulent passports and driver’s licenses, and more sophisticated attacks. The agency said these updates are designed to assess performance differences better.
“As digital threats grow more sophisticated—from AI-generated documents to real-time video impersonations—our defensive capabilities must evolve even faster,” Arun Vemury, Senior Advisor for Biometric and Identity at S&T, said. “The expanded RIVR challenges demonstrate our commitment to collaborating with industry to rapidly assess and improve technologies that protect our citizens, streamline government operations, and dismantle the criminal networks that rely on identity fraud.”
Interested technology providers are encouraged to visit Remote Identity Validation Rally or contact peoplescreening@hq.dhs.gov to register for the Sept. 30, 2026, informational webinar.