- DHS S&T is expanding the Remote Identity Validation Rally for its 2026 challenges
- The competition will cover document validation, selfie matching and biometric spoofing detection
- DHS is seeking identity deepfake attack data to support technology evaluations
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate is expanding its Remote Identity Validation Rally, or RIVR, to bring more identity verification technologies into government testing, the agency announced Monday.
DHS is giving industry a larger role in testing technologies designed to address emerging identity threats. The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 10 will offer another opportunity for contractors to hear directly from DHS leaders about technology needs and strategic priorities. Register today.
The 2026 competition will examine capabilities for detecting fraudulent identification documents, physical presentation attacks and AI-generated impersonation while also seeking industry data on identity deepfake attacks. RIVR was launched in 2025, establishing a recurring testing program for remote identity technologies.
What Capabilities Will DHS Test?
RIVR will cover four technology areas during the 2026 challenges. Document validation and selfie-to-document matching will open for applications in October. The first capability focuses on distinguishing legitimate identification documents from fraudulent or AI-generated ones, while the second checks whether a selfie corresponds to the photograph on an ID. Document authentication was also the focus of the second RIVR phase in 2025, which invited developers to test systems designed to verify identity documents.
Applications for presentation attack detection and biometric deepfake detection will open in December. Those technologies address physical spoofs such as masks and photographs and AI-generated impersonations in video communications. The testing builds on RIVR’s third phase in 2025, which evaluated technology against impersonation attempts involving photographs, displays and face masks.
What Is DHS Seeking From Industry?
In November, DHS will seek organizations that can provide examples of identity deepfake attacks and information on how they were created. The material will help the agency develop a broader dataset for testing.
The 2026 challenges will also use more authentic and fraudulent passports and driver’s licenses than the 2025 events, along with more sophisticated attacks and additional use cases.
DHS said the expanded testing will help evaluate how the technologies perform under different document, smartphone and real-world conditions.
