The National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-63-1, "Electronic Authentication Guidelines" recommendation provides technical guidelines for Federal agencies implementing electronic authentication and is not intended to constrict the development or use of standards outside of this purpose. This publication supersedes NIST SP 800-63. The recommendation covers remote authentication of users (such as employees, contractors, or private individuals) interacting with government IT systems over open networks. It defines technical requirements for each of four levels of assurance in the areas of identity proofing, registration, tokens, management processes, authentication protocols and related assertions.