23 January, 2005 - 6:22pm

What is necessary to safely secure your online identity in a new distributed identity system?

In the "Sixth Law of Identity" Microsoft identity guru, Kim Cameron, discusses this issue in light of the valid concerns surrounding attacks (and potential attacks) on identity information and identity stores. Sxip developer, Andy Smith, takes an in-depth examination of these fears and how they can be addressed. He notes that the SXIP protocol addresses these problems in two ways: first, by decoupling the authentication method and second, by providing anonymity through an increased granularity of data.

With decoupled authentication methods, Homesites can determine the level of authentication that they want to provide their users. Consequently, individuals who are particularly concerned with the security of their data will sign up for Homesites with stronger authentication methods.

With anonymity, individuals can assert specific qualities about themselves, such as their age, without disclosing their name, government identification number, or even birthdate. As a result, even if an attacker gained access to that data, it wouldn’t be of much use.

Read more in Andy’s article.