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Online information cards or I-cards such as this one from Equifax may one day be used instead of passwords to access Web sites.
Equifax on Thursday introduced it's first information card or I-card, Equifax Over 18 card. I-cards are envisioned to be the online equivalent of a driver's license, passport, or similar ID. The basic idea is that customers would have an electronic wallet with various information cards that would allow customers to bypass typing in user names and passwords.
In this case, the Equifax card proves--via a trusted third party--that you are over 18 when accessing specially marked Web sites. "With fraud and identity theft on the rise, companies need better, more secure ways to conduct transactions online and take their identity management practices to the next level," said Steve Ely, president of Equifax Personal Information Solutions, in a statement.
In June Equifax was among a handful of companies behind the new Information Card Foundation. Other companies include Google, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, and PayPal. For example, Microsoft's new Geneva project relies upon ICF standards. The Equifax card is one of the first I-cards based on the ICF standard that users can sign up and use.
In the near future, the foundation hopes that I-cards will contain personal data such as profile, purchase preference, payment, or verified identity information, as well as password information. Kim Cameron, an identity and access architect for Microsoft, told CNET News in June that the cards really do improve online security. "There's this endless digital baptism of filling in forms and logging in everywhere, and it creates a wonderful environment for the criminal element through phishing attacks and what have you because on the Internet no one does know you are a dog."
To produce the card, Equifax worked with Parity, an information management company that last month announced an online card site based on open ID card standards.
Those interested in trying out the I-card can sign up with Equifax or use Parity's Azigo I-card management software to enable one-click sign-in and identity verification. One demo site for the service requires an Equifax Over 18 I-card just to watch the video (alas, no nudity here, just an explanation of the card's uses).
Imagine finding the perfect gift via Google and then purchasing it in one click without typing in your password or credit card information. On Thursday, Parity, an information management company, announced a new Web service called CardPress that makes issuing online information cards a little easier.
Information cards are online equivalents of physical ID cards, such as a driver's license. Online customers would have an electronic wallet with various information cards, bypassing the need to type in user names and passwords. A student accessing a university network, for example, would simply present his or her electronic student information card.
CardPress provides Web sites with a free (for low-volume usage) turn-key, hosted software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution. The information cards are designed for associations, organizations, and merchants, and can enable one-click log-ins, phishing protection, and single sign-on (SSO) across multiple partner sites, and can eliminate costs associated with restoring lost or forgotten passwords. "We consider the service a tremendous building block for the information card ecosystem," a Parity representative told CNET News.
Currently there are only two organizations offering or soon to offer CardPress cards. Boston Community Change, which rewards charitable donations to local schools, is only open to Boston-area residents. The Minuteman Library Network, a consortium of libraries in Massachusetts, also plans to offer the cards. The service would allow Minuteman Library members secure access to online resources. Both are available through an electronic wallet site called Azigo (currently in beta). In the coming days, Parity expects to add more associations.
In June the Information Card Foundation (ICF) was created with the stated goal of increasing awareness of the use of electronic ID cards on the Internet, and encouraging interoperability in business around new standards. Member companies include Equifax, Google, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, and PayPal, plus nine leaders in the technology community. Paul Trevithick, CEO of Parity, is the current chairman of the ICF.
Unlike having a credit card number, which anyone on the Internet can use at anytime, the ID card model proposed by the ICF requires that all three players (user, provider, reliant party) be synced in real time before the transaction can proceed. A user would sync via encrypted connection with an ID provider (say a bank or credit card issuer), and also with a reliant party (a university network, a financial site, or an e-commerce site).
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