Group formed to replace Password with online ID cards

NEW-TECH : Group formed to replace Password with online ID cards

Information Cards are the digital version of the cards in your wallet

By CRPCC Team

01 July 2008

A steering committee of 9 people is formed from 6 companies to workout an online ID Card identity verification system in place of existing password method, to prove your identity online for various online transactions.

This group has been named as Information Card Foundation (ICF) and formally formed at the Burton Catalyst Conference in San Diego June 23 – 27, 2008 and has representatives from Equifax, Google, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle and PayPal.

As per ICF brochure , the Information Cards are defined as the digital, online equivalents of your physical identification credentials such as a drivers license, passport, credit card, club card, business card or a social greeting card. Users control the distribution of their personal information through each Information Card. Information Cards are stored in a user’s own online wallet (called a “selector”) and “handed out” with a mouse click just like a physical ID card.

Information Cards can be issued to users by organizations for general or specific use. Users can also create their own Information Cards as a shortcut to avoid the endless process of filling out web forms. But more importantly, the infastructure behind the cards allows for trusted sources (a bank, a credit union, a government office, etc.) to verify specific information (“claims”) made by a user. In other words, Information Cards give users the ability to make claims about themselves, verified by qualified 3rd parties, while using the Internet.

The existing common identification system is passwords. Passwords are forgotten frequently. For every usage, you need a different password else if you use the same password for all usage, you run the risk of misuse of your rightful usage; and identity theft, in case, even one place it is compromised.

ICF has set the objective before itself to define open standard for Information cards.

Some of the stated benefits of Information cards are defined as (a) ‘Click-in’ without logging in with username/password; (b) Verifiable credentials for Less phishing and Less fraud; (c) Wield verifiable claims made by others about you to prove you are you; (d) Customer data verification; (e) Claim verification (e.g. address verification); (f) Provide personal information in proper context (by card type); (g) Buying online with Information Cards; (h) Persistent but severable connections; (i) Integrate existing identity systems and standards

The card can also store other information like checking - whether or not the person browsing are over 21 years old. More information can be obtained at http://informationcard.net/.