« RepRap | Main | Steven Johnson, pop icon! » Identity Metasystem Doc Searls has parked an interesting set of questions about a proposed Identity Metasystem in his IT garage. This concept's being driven by Microsoft, specifically Kim Alexander, Microsoft's Identity and Access Architect, who's in a position to realize and think about the issues of identity online that are cropping up and haven't been addressed very well in a standard way across the Internet. As Kim's Laws of Identity white paper says, "The Internet was built without a way to know who and what you are connecting to." Without a native identity layer, we're seeing the emergence of a patchwork of "identity one-offs"... As use of the Web increases, so does users' exposure to these workarounds. Though no one is to blame, the result is pernicious. Hundreds of millions of people have been trained to accept anything any site wants to throw at them as being the "normal way" to conduct business online. They have been taught to type their names, secret passwords, and personal identifying information into almost any input form that appears on their screen.Kim feels that "the diverse needs of many players demand that we weave a single identity fabric out of multiple constituent technologies." This is complex, there are many obstacles, but it's time to take the first steps. I can't claim to have my head around this quite yet, but it's sinking in, and it seems extremely relevant to the concepts of "constituent relationship management" and "group relationship management." jon posted this at 1:18 PM |
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