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The Government and Private Companies Are in a Tug-of-War Over Who Controls Access to Public Websites

A clash is playing out in Washington over what role private companies should have in developing government technologies, centered around a service that would allow Americans to use a single account across any federal website.

Login.gov logo
Login.gov; NOTUS illustration

A lobbying fight is unfolding on Capitol Hill and in executive agencies over how hundreds of millions of Americans will access government websites.

The General Services Administration — a federal agency responsible for logistics and operations — has been developing a tool called Login.gov since 2016, with the vision of creating a sign-on service that would eventually allow Americans to use a single account across any federal website. Commercial companies, mostly notably the Virginia-based ID.me, are pushing their own products as an alternative.

The result is a quiet tug-of-war in Washington over how Americans will interact with websites that let them do everything from renewing a passport and applying for a small business loan to filing taxes and submitting résumés to be considered for a federal job vacancy.