August 20, 2026 — A cybersecurity policy change coming down from the federal government is drawing backlash from Alaska’s commercial fishing industry.
The concern is the change could hobble fishermen and processors operating in remote areas around the state where internet and cellular service are unreliable or unavailable.
Recently, the industry learned the U.S. Department of Commerce plans a transition to Login.gov with “multifactor authentication requirements for public-facing systems” such as the Observer Declare and Deploy System (ODDS), eFISH, and other platforms used by participants in Alaska’s federally managed fisheries.
This would require fishermen and other industry participants to establish a Login.gov account. Login.gov is described as “the public’s one account for government.”