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Practical identity-proofing privacy

Review identity-verification privacy before deleting access

Check the verification provider, agency connection, biometric retention terms and account-closure consequences before changing a needed sign-in account.

Sources checked .

Conceptual illustration

Understand the requested verification before submitting documents

Login.gov's overview distinguishes account access from identity proofing required by some agencies. Read the specific agency's request and accepted process. Its help directs people missing requirements to the agency for alternatives. Do not submit an ID, selfie or Social Security number merely to inspect a privacy setting. Login.gov: account access versus identity proofing

Review existing Login.gov connections first

Login.gov's account help documents Your connected services in the left sidebar for reviewing linked agencies. Use that view on an existing authorized account before considering removal. Reading the duplicate-account help does not mean a second account should be created or an existing one deleted for this review. Login.gov: reviewing connected services before account removal

Read consent and retention as separate controls

Login.gov's Privacy Act statement allows reviewing or revoking agency-sharing consent through the account page. It also describes routine disclosures to verification and fraud-prevention providers. Do not interpret an agency-sharing choice as removal of every vendor, audit or legal record. The agency determines eligibility; Login.gov does not. Login.gov: information, service providers, retention and consent

Check the current ID.me biometric policy and exceptions

Read ID.me's biometric policy before relying on a deletion timeline. It describes active-wallet retention and a post-closure schedule, with shorter requirements and fraud or legal exceptions. Ask for the scope of any provider confirmation rather than equating a hidden selfie with erasure of all verification records. ID.me: biometric consent version 3.3.0 and retention

Treat the selfie help as a specific, unresolved route

ID.me's help documents Sign in & Security > Privacy > Remove my data > Delete my selfie and pending or no-selfie status messages. Read that help alongside the biometric policy, which describes a different closure-based schedule. This guide does not resolve the conflict or recommend submitting a deletion simply to test it. ID.me: selfie deletion help and status messages

Check verification and service access before wallet closure

ID.me warns that closure can interrupt ongoing benefit verification and require identity verification again for a new wallet. Review needed access before choosing Close my wallet. Its help separately describes retained information after closure. Do not treat the closure confirmation as an all-records deletion certificate. ID.me: wallet closure, access and retained information

Keep agency records and sign-in deletion separate

Login.gov's deletion help says account removal blocks access to agencies requiring the account while preserving information already saved with those agencies. Review the effect on needed access first. Its Delete account confirmation is an actual removal action, not a required step for learning what information is held. Login.gov: deletion consequences and separate agency records

Keep document and provider questions in the correct channel

Login.gov's process guide explains that verification uses issuing or authoritative sources and that contact-center staff cannot unlock accounts or update account details for a user. Review the provider's published help for an account question and the agency's route for its own records. Keep documents and authentication secrets private. Login.gov: document checks and session records

Questions and answers

Does closing Login.gov delete information held by the agency?

The help says partner-agency information remains separate. Login.gov: deletion consequences and separate agency records

Is a no-selfie status proof that every identity record is gone?

The selfie help describes that status; it does not establish deletion of all retained records. ID.me: selfie deletion help and status messages

Should a wallet be closed just to inspect privacy options?

ID.me warns about interrupted verification and later re-verification; review consequences first. ID.me: wallet closure, access and retained information

Sources and scope

Public provider instructions checked 10-24-2026. Menus and agency requirements can change. Documentation and page layout were reviewed, not private accounts or physical devices.

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