That’s what SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect and others have promised. And it’s the right vision. Rather than every system creating its own identity store, re-use what’s already out there. The problem is that to really deliver on that vision, someone must stand behind the identity. And not just stand behind it from a technology standpoint. Facebook does a good job of that. I’m talking about standing behind it from an identity perspective. I’m talking about vetting the identity with some veracity. And it doesn’t need to be DNA testing. In fact, having a sliding scale – a continuum of identity confidence – would be a good thing. Because not every system needs the same degree of confidence.
J.C. Penney’s and the IRS have two different “identity confidence” thresholds. Penney’s doesn’t care whether I’m Tracy Hunt, Tracey Hunt, or even Ms. Hunt. (For the record, I’m Mr. T-r-a-c-no-e-y Hunt. But please keep sending me Ms. Tracey Hunt’s Penney’s coupons, and I’ll keep using them.) The IRS, on the other hand, does care. They care that I am me, and they care that my name matches precisely with what the Social Security Administration has on record as my legal name.
Because of that situation, today, when I go to any government-type website, I’m stuck creating yet another username and password. And while it’s stupid, I understand why it’s done. There’s no real alternative. Nobody has taken SAML, OAuth or OpenID Connect and overlaid an identity ecosystem that handles a continuum of identity confidence. Nobody has created IdentiTopia.
Until now.
We have…and we are. Lamark Solutions’ trulyMEid is an identity ecosystem that accommodates a continuum of identity confidence. It can handle everything from self-asserted identity to DNA-proofed identity, and everything in between and beyond those two. trulyMEid speaks open identity federation standards. It’s already compatible with modern systems. trulyMEid leverages advanced cryptographic capabilities built-in to today’s modern smart phones and devices. Your trulyMEid virtual credential is more bound to you than today’s physical credentials ever could be. trulyMEid is an identity bridge that joins the physical world with the virtual world. It works in the virtual world as a multi-factor authenticator, and it works in the physical world as a visual ID card. And it’s a lot better than paper or plastic.
