Identity Metasystem Laundry List

You know how everything blurs over time, and looking back you can never remember when exactly things happened? Well, here’s my attempt to define all of the Infocard/Identity Metasystem milestones that I feel are critical, likely, or in some cases, wishful thinking, and make sure that their accomplishment is accurately reported. When these things happen, I can trot along back to this article and add a date and/or a link. May I humbly note that I think #10 is pretty damn important and that MS is going to have a difficult time garnering corporate adoption until it happens.

All of these items are open to debate, and I’m open to nominations for new items. The more the merrier, I say. Also, if you happen to know any more information on the status of any of the items, I would love to be updated, just drop me a comment!

Pam’s Identity Metasystem Laundry List and Future Predictions

created: 7 May 2006
updated: 28 June 2006 (updated naming & OSIS project references)

  1. MS releases the long-awaited updated Federated Identity & Access Management Resource Kit :)
  2. Done!MS alters self-issued Infocard supported claims to include homePage
  3. Update (10 July 2006): included in June 2006 CTP

  4. CardSpace client support is built-in (or plugged-in) to Mozilla
  5. Apple releases Safari with Infocard client support
  6. First Identity Provider product released
  7. Apple integrates Infocard and Keychain
  8. Microsoft turns over schema for infocard definition to a standards body
  9. Microsoft releases information about the communication protocols between the CardSpace client and the Metadata store
  10. ADFS plays nicely in the Identity Metasystem.
  11. Microsoft releases a version of CardSpace that can be managed (and audited) by an administrator (both at a machine level & at a domain level)
  12. First open source Identity Selector client released
  13. Update (28 Jun 06): the first Identity Selector project has started: OSIS. Doesn’t count as done until it’s released though.

  14. First non-auditing Identity Provider goes live on the internet
  15. First major consumer site adopts CardSpace and/or Identity Metasystem
  16. First major financial institution adopts CardSpace and/or Identity Metasystem
  17. First windows competitor to CardSpace is released
  18. First CardSpace exploit is discovered
  19. First infocard provisioning standards appear
  20. MS Windows creates an Identity Selector client default setting, just like their browser default setting, to allow the users to choose which client they wish to have pop up on their desktop

Stay tuned, something tells me that this page is going to be very frequently edited :)

1 thought on “Identity Metasystem Laundry List

  1. Pam, you are really an optimistic ;)

    Do you really believe that an identity system which does not consider a “law” that it must be adaptable over time and extensible to cater for at least 6 billions different identities and aspirations is ever going to succeed?

    Certainly for a few months, or even years knowing the gregarian behavior of corporate minds. But it is not sustainable.

    Anyway, you are in the right field, and you get paid for educating on identy, at least you have a bright future ;)

    Pam says: The paranoia freak in me thinks that the worst thing that could possibly happen is for any one single identity system to ever extend to a global scale. I would much prefer to see a multitude of identity ecosystems, each in their own bubble, some linked by common needs like commerce or reputation, but many existing of and for themselves. In a perfect world, the links between bubbles are made on a user-by-user basis, instead of as backroom deals resulting in a take-it-or-leave it policy glut of 3rd party information leakage. Ooh, this is a juicy topic to contemplate, I think I need to spend more time on it… thanks for the challenge, you have inspired me (:

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