Open ID - easier Internet logins

For anyone who spends time on the Internet and takes advantage of social media technologies in particular remembering a growing list of passwords and login details can be a challenge. Thankfully, there is a solution in the making in the form of OpenID.

Open ID is an open identity system that allows you to use one single identification (or digital identification) across many of your favorite sites. Participant sites include the likes of Ma.gnolia, pbwiki, 37 Signals, Technorati and Plaxo.

With Open ID, you register once for an ID then use that to identify yourself on different sites. The result: you don’t have to remember numerous login and password details. It makes surfing much faster, more secure and less of a pain.

Developed by the OpenID Foundation an organisation that was formed in June 2007 to help promote, protect and enable the OpenID technologies and community, the group is quickly expanding and some of the behemoths in the industry are now OpenID providers.

To claim your ID use a reputable providers such as MYID, Claim ID or Vidoop and make the process easier by using a downloadable browser plugin like Vidoop’s to manage your standard logins.

At last my brain can take a rest and doesn’t have to store all those endless password details.

Written by Mhairi , April 18th, 2008 |
Posted in: Cool Stuff, Social Computing, Web 2.0, Web Design

2 Comments so far

  1. VoiceHero April 19th, 2008 2:44 am

    I like the idea of open ID, but I´m a bit afraid of data is exchanged if I log into a certain site which supports open ID. If I register with one trustworthy provider is then any site where I use the open ID login able to see my data - I mean the need to verify it somehow. furthermore - this becomes a wealth of information - someone who manages into the database where the core information is stored can take over the identities with ease.

  2. FredAtMicrosoft April 21st, 2008 5:53 pm

    I’m not sure what sort of database structure they’re using, but this should be ideal for logins to comment on blogs and news sites, not as much for sites with more personal information, like email and social networks.

    ——————————————————
    Fred Reckling
    Microsoft Security Outreach Team
    http://www.microsoft.com/hellosecureworld/level7

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