Who Am I? Who Are You?
Wednesday, November 7th, 2007We’ve all been there. You remembered you created an account on xxxyyyzzz.com, but
can’t remember the password or the account name. You search through your e-mail,
but can’t remember who sent you that confirmation mail. And you have enough of them.
That’s it. You’re note going to create yet another digital identity.
Identity on the net is an important issue. On one side, you got to be careful of the
electronic trail you leave. On the other hand, you need to make it easier on yourself
and limit the number of account names and passwords you use, so you end up
using the same password everywhere. I’ve reached the point that if I can’t
register the username ollej, my interest fades away… I don’t want help from my
web browser to remember, but I know a lot of people do. Changing to another
computer is a crisis situation for them. And letting the web browser handle
your accounts is not a very secure solution.
Identify is an important part of the security framework. It’s about claiming to
be someone (or something) and be able to prove it. This is very often called
AUTHENTICATION.
But that’s not all of it. There are different needs for how you prove your identity
in different situations. The requirement of a 100% correct identity is lower
on Facebook than some other sites, like your Internet bank. A few years ago
some people claimed that all secure transactions on the net required
200% security, being tied to your social security number. That was proven
itself to be incorrect - and you have to compare with daily life. How many
times have you asked your collegues for a passport and a DNA-test?
