Identity

Discussion on the need for Group Identity

Using "Entities" in Identity Systems

Silona on why identity systems should be based on 'entities':

"We can take things a step back. An entity can be a person, group, band, affiliation, business - whatever. You can then add differentiation architecture on top of that. Things that identify what KIND of entity they are and create special datastructures for each. It allows for growth and expansion.

We are social creatures and act more within these other expanded structures than just a friend to friend model. A friend to friend model has a limit of 150 (dunbar number.) With group associations (and such), we can expand that network. It is one reason myspace is successful despite its horrid interface.

Why We need Group Identities

Francois Rey:

"We need a proper space to communities and organizations on the net. I believe only the Identity Commons initiatives include the possibility to name organizations (using the @ sign). The ability to properly identity groups of people is an essential building block of the net as a social networking tool. I would not call it “entity” because it reminds me too much of the concept of legal entity, I used the word “community” because of my open money bias, but now I think the neutral word “group” would be more suitable because it does not imply anything about the relationship between the members (more adapted to things like: employees and ex-employees of a given company, participants to a conference, users of a system, etc.).

The context in which I envisioned the need to properly identify groups of people on the net is open money. Open money is about creating a commons platform where anyone can create a complementary currency such as LETS system, time dollars, and other kinds. With such platform we imagine that many small-scale currencies will be created here and there while people learn what complementary currencies are and what can be done with them. Some currencies will be very successful while other may just die off after their creation. In this dynamic it is essential that the platform properly supports the lifecycle of a currency. Currency termination should be supported, but currency merging is also an important feature if we want to allow dynamics where currencies of the same type want to become “one” because if would make things much easier (just like the Euro has been the joining of several national currencies). Currency aggregation could be another feature that would enable other kinds of dynamics.

The reason I explain this is because you can derive important requirements for “group-based” identity schemes that aim to be a generic building block on the net. The features of such component will be very influential in the way social dynamics develop on the net. Let me just provide a list of requirements to be considered:

- group naming and identification

- individuals can belong to multiple groups

- groups can be part of other groups

- groups can be merged together (either to a new one or into one of them)

- queries such as intersection and union

- polymorphism so that groups can be considered as individuals in certain situations"

Laws of Identity

Seven Laws of Identity - Kim Cameron

Shortened version of an excellent introductory overview by Kim Cameron at http://www.identityblog.com/stories/2004/12/09/thelaws.html

1. User Control and Consent

Technical identity systems must only reveal information identifying a user with the user’s consent. (Blogosphere discussion starts here…)

2. Minimal Disclosure for a Constrained Use

The solution that discloses the least amount of identifying information and best limits its use is the most stable long-term solution.

The concept of “least identifying information” should be taken as meaning not only the fewest number of claims, but the information least likely to identify a given individual across multiple contexts.

We can also express the Law of Minimal Disclosure this way: aggregation of identifying information also aggregates risk. To minimize risk, minimize aggregation.

3. Justifiable Parties

Digital identity systems must be designed so the disclosure of identifying information is limited to parties having a necessary and justifiable place in a given identity relationship.

The identity system must make its user aware of the party or parties with whom she is interacting while sharing information.

4. Directed Identity

A universal identity system must support both “omni-directional” identifiers for use by public entities and “unidirectional” identifiers for use by private entities, thus facilitating discovery while preventing unnecessary release of correlation handles. (Starts here…)

5. Pluralism of Operators and Technologies

A universal identity system must channel and enable the inter-working of multiple identity technologies run by multiple identity providers.

The universal identity metasystem must not be another monolith. It must be polycentric (federation implies this) and also polymorphic (existing in different forms). This will allow the identity ecology to emerge, evolve, and self-organize.

6. Human Integration

The universal identity metasystem must define the human user to be a component of the distributed system integrated through unambiguous human-machine communication mechanisms offering protection against identity attacks. (Starts here…)

7. Consistent Experience Across Contexts

The unifying identity metasystem must guarantee its users a simple, consistent experience while enabling separation of contexts through multiple operators and technologies.

As users, we need to see our various identities as part of an integrated world that nonetheless respects our need for independent contexts." (http://www.identityblog.com/stories/2004/12/09/thelaws.html)

Fen Labalme's additions

From the entry, 'Four More Laws of Identity', at http://blog.fen.net/archives/000042.html

8. Freedom

The entity (often a person) using an online digital identity system must be in total control of their information. This implies that not only the data but also the access protocols and authorization mechanisms must not be encumbered by someone else's (IP) rights, unless such restrictions were previously - and explicitly - agreed to.

9. Decentralization

An identity system should be decentralized.

10. Portability

Bridges must exist - or be straightforward to create - between identity systems so that users are not locked into a single provider.

11. Transparency

There should be a clear and (if desired) visible cause and effect relationship in all identity related transactions." (http://blog.fen.net/archives/000042.html)

Drummond Reed's Corrollaries

Drummond Reed has published corrolaries to the above principles, which are listed here at http://www.identitygang.org/Reference

More Information

See the related entries on Reputation, Trust, Privacy, Anonymity

Identity Standards are listed here at http://www.identitygang.org/Reference

Identity discussion at http://www.identityblog.com/