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Minnesota launches Log In MN identity proofing as a tool against fraud, MNIT says
Summary
Minnesota IT Services briefed the House committee on Log In MN, a statewide identity and access service that uses three levels of identity proofing and a selfie "liveness" check for high-risk programs such as paid family and medical leave; MNIT said the service is live for accounts and will be rolled out to agencies over time.
Minnesota IT Services updated lawmakers on Log In MN, the state's new identity and access platform designed to reduce identity-based fraud while simplifying residents' access to public services. Commissioner Tarek Tomes said the state has invested in cybersecurity and cloud modernization and that the identity service is a core component of fraud defenses.
Deputy Commissioner John Eichten described Log In MN's three-tier identity proofing model and emphasized agencies can set proofing levels depending on program risk. For the highest-risk services, such as paid family and medical leave, Eichten said the system requires users to upload a photo ID and take a selfie as a liveness check to prevent deepfakes and impersonation. "The selfie is not facial recognition in the sense of trying to tie that image to an existing record," Eichten said, adding the check is intended to ensure the applicant is a living person rather than to match images to national databases.
Why it matters: MNIT said investments since 2023'including cybersecurity funding, cloud migration and the Technology Modernization Fund'have supported more resilient systems and fraud defenses. Commissioner Tomes credited state and federal investments with enabling the security operations center and identity service improvements.
Members probed privacy and scope: Representative Quam asked whether the selfie is used to search national databases; Deputy Eichten reiterated it is a liveness check and not a search against state or federal image repositories. Members also asked for metrics showing prevented attempts and filtering effectiveness; MNIT committed to providing additional data offline.
Next steps: MNIT will continue agency rollouts for programs with higher fraud risk and provide requested follow-up reports on prevented attempts and program-specific metrics.
