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Security: OpenID Gains Momentum with Endorsements
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OpenID has been in the news over the last month with endorsements coming from Digg, Microsoft, Yahoo! and AOL. OpenID is a decentralized system for maintaining a consistent online identity. |
Using OpenID, people are identified using a URI or URL, much the same way that websites are identified on the Internet. URIs are a core component of how the Internet as we now know it works, and selecting the URI as a user identifier provides OpenID with a solid foundation. The OpenID URI that a user selects might be, for example, the URL to their home page or blog.
OpenID enables single sign-on and allows you to skip new website registrations. You can login to different websites without having to create new usernames and passwords. Your OpenID can be populated with information about you so that you no longer need to fill out website registration forms. A good introduction to OpenID is given in this screencast.
Your OpenID profile is managed by an OpenID “identity provider” or i-broker, and you aren’t limited to a single OpenID profile — you could set up multiple ones with different levels of information. MyOpenID is an example of an OpenID provider, but there are many. A list of OpenID providers is here.
The number of company endorsements around OpenID over just the past few weeks demonstrates that OpenID is quickly gaining momentum. Likewise, tools and services are springing up around OpenID. Some examples include a method from idproxy.net that lets you map your Yahoo! account to an OpenID, and a FireFox plugin called Sxipper that lets you tranparently store your OpenID.
