Tweet

Trusted Internet ID Obama’s top priority

Guest post by: Dennis Schooley

Article Overview: The Obama administration is currently working on a scheme that will make a cyberspace utopia where financial transactions and exchanges of information are conducted in a secure environment.

Trusted Internet ID Obama’s top priority

The Obama administration is currently working on a scheme that will make a cyberspace utopia where financial transactions and exchanges of information are conducted in a secure environment.

United State Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has revealed plans to develop a National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC), a trusted Internet identity ecosystem that aims to curb fraud and identity theft and at the same streamline online transactions.

The Internet identity ecosystem plan is currently in the drafting stage but the Obama administration will release it in a few months, said Locke who spoke at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research in California on Friday.

Within the Internet identity ecosystem, Individuals don't have to remember a growing list of usernames and passwords for various online services. Instead, they will be able to authenticate themselves online through secure, private and interoperable credentials.

In essence, the Internet identity ecosystem works as the Big Brother of all Big Brother mechanisms implemented online to ensure that people are who they say they are before they could access electronic financial data and health records. The trusted Internet identity ecosystem is part of the present administration's Cyberspace Policy Review which was released in May 2009.

Locke, who outlined the framework of the Internet identity ecosystem at the Stanford event with White House Cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt, tried to dispelled fears of privacy groups over the plans.

"We are not talking about a national ID card," said Locke. "We are not talking about a government-controlled system. What we are talking about is enhancing online security and privacy, and reducing and perhaps even eliminating the need to memorize a dozen passwords, through creation and use of more trusted digital identities."

Critics of the plan fear that instead of securing identities and transactions online, the identity ecosystem will instead do the opposite.

When the plan was first unveiled in June last year, John Pescatore, vice president and research fellow at Gartner Research, was very vocal in saying that a complicated, password-reliant framework such as the Internet identity ecosystem was not the solution to cybersecurity problems. Cybercrime thrived due to the use of reusable passwords. To address the problem, the government should instead strive to minimize the use of such passwords and opt for one-time passwords or other stronger authentification mechanisms, he said.

Some web users think the Internet identity ecosystem is part of the global plan to track users' identities and activities online. Other say the scheme restricts freedom of speech which is what the world wide web is about.

Jim Dempsey of the Center for Democracy and Technology, who was also at the Stanford event, said the scheme must be voluntary and created by the private sector; otherwise, "it wouldn't be trusted."

Proponents of the plan, however, said that apprehension over the Internet identity ecosystem stemmed from the lack of understanding as to how it will operate.

How exactly will the identity ecosystem help secure cyberspace? The ecosystem centers on four main buckets, explained Schmidt:

1. It is voluntary. If a user establishes a secure identity credential and then decides to revert to the standard multiple-password method for various online transactions, he can do so.

2. The ecosystem will only work if web users are confident that the transaction and/or exchange of information is secure.

3. The system will be interoperable or dependent on various security solutions and mechanisms implemented by different companies. This will make it virtually impossible for cybercriminals to target a particular entity and compromise the security of the others.

4. The system will be cost effective and user friendly.

While the purpose and the basic guidelines of the Internet identity ecosystem are already known, what it will actually look like is still unclear. According to Locke, the White House is initiating the plan, but much of it will depend on private sector involvement before it even takes off the ground. In fact, the government wants the private sector to design and implement the program.

The U.S. Commerce Department will be setting up a national program office to help enforce the identity ecosystem, he said.

Related Articles
  Bare Arms at the Palace and Other Faux Pas
  Quick Online Business Ideas For Viral Marketing Campaigns
  Internet Marketing Expert - Train Yourself To Become One
  The Trusted Sales Authority
  Home Based Business Opportunities-General Information
  Internet Home Based Business General Information
  Internet Home Based Business Opportunity for Entrepreneurs on a Mission
  Internet Marketing Leadership: Another Lesson from the Dog Whisperer
  Home Based Business Opportunity Information for Anyone Interested in Generating Income
  Starting a Home Based Business-Information You Need to Know
  Home Based Business Opportunity-Getting Started the Right Way
  Internet Home Based Business-Monetizing Your Opportunity
  Internet Home Based Business and How To Get Started?
  Internet Home Based Business --You Can Be Successful
  A Trusted Mentor Can Help You Overcome Anxiety, Grief and Bullying in the Workplace
  Internet Home Based Business and the Importance of Computer Literacy
  How Fast Can I get Results with a Home Internet Based Income Opportunity?
  Home Based Business Opportunity and Residual Income
  Home Staging Services Don’t All Have To Be Done By The Stager
  How To Make The Most of Your Internet Marketing PPC Campaign

Article Tags: communication, internet, Obama administration, technology



Related Forum Posts
Re: Forum Upgrade - [quote="Evan":3gsq6qox]Hi Kevin - thanks for the suggestion. We'll have to take a look to see how that is possible in the phpbb3 template code - can you add it in the proper priority to the list we've created? Barbara - so far the feedback is mixed about the forum posts loading in a new window so we'll continue to keep our ears open for additional thoughts on this one. On your other note, I can copy and paste the text quite easily in firefox - what browser are you using?[/quote:3gsq6qox] Hi Evan, I've just added that item to the priority list. On a side note, I use IE and I'm able to copy and paste text from the forums just fine.
Post titles for forum entries - Hi Kevin - it might be possible - we will have to look into it. Can you put it priority on the list?
Specific Forum posts - Thanks Kevin - another issue with phpbb3 - thanks for spotting it! Can you add it to the Google docs in priority?
Proper Planning required - Paper business has its own importance. But it has to be done in the right way. You have to plan in a proper way. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. You have to check your priority.
Re: 4 Home Based Opportunities For 2011 - Hi, Thanks, for sharing these value information with us. Internet make easy us to earn money even at home. Internet offers a lot of opportunities to earn money. Internet Marketing is the biggest example of money making.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How To Be A Management Legend

LEARNING TO HAVE FUN – EVERYDAY!

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.