White House Releases Trusted Internet ID Plan

[Sabre]

Computer World

The U.S. government will coordinate private-sector efforts to create trusted identification systems for the Internet, with the goal of giving consumers and businesses multiple options for authenticating identity online, according to a plan released by President Barack Obama's administration.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will work with private companies to drive development and adoption of trusted ID technologies, White House officials said. The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC), released by the Department of Commerce on Friday, aims to protect the privacy and security of Internet users by encouraging a broad online authentication market in the U.S.

"The fact is that the old password and username combination we often use to verify people is no longer good enough," Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said at an NSTIC release event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "It leaves too many consumers, government agencies and businesses vulnerable to ID and data theft."

Because of online fraud, many people don't trust the Internet, Locke added. "It will not reach its full potential -- commercial or otherwise -- until users and consumers feel more secure than they do today when they go online," he said.

About 8.1 million U.S. residents were victims of ID theft in 2010, Locke said. The cost to business is high: a company with 500 employees spends about US$110,000 a year managing employee IDs, according to the Department of Commerce.

The trusted ID technologies described in NSTIC would allow online users to dump passwords in favor of credentials that can be used on multiple websites. The Obama administration hopes that multiple trusted ID technologies will emerge, officials said.

Consumer participation in trusted ID technologies will be voluntary, they added.

I'm not sure how I feel about this yet... While I think it will make things convenient... I also fear it will make them convenient for hackers. I do like that it will not be mandatory. I also think it will make it much easier to track people.

[complacent]

i think it's a decent idea. we'll see what happens if it actually becomes something.

a lot of horrible things in america started out as well-intentioned ideas.

[avriette]

It can't work, period. Two major obstacles are immediate:

1. There will never be One True System that everyone adopts.
2. Crypto doesn't exist that makes this feasibly secure.

Add to that, people like myself have a very strong incentive to defeat it. In support of the government, even.

[Mr Kleen]

a lot of horrible things... started out as well-intentioned ideas.