Not a dog
Businesses, not just governments, have a role to play in helping web users prove their identities
BEING anonymous online is easy. This is a boon for the noble (dissidents and whistle-blowers) and for the ignoble (scammers, creeps, pests and terrorists). But for the boringly respectable web user, and for those needing to identify him or her, it is hard to prove you are who you say you are.
Governments rightly want to fix this. Proper online IDs would curb fraud, keep young people off sites meant for adults, boost e-commerce (especially across borders) and cut the cost of public administration by putting government services online. They would also make life easier for everybody. Instead of having to remember lots of different logins and passwords, you would need just a few. Your credentials could authenticate your identity, nationality, age, address or whatever else was required—without having to hand over the actual data. You could call on your identity provider to prove to a social-networking site that you are 13 or over, for example.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "Not a dog"
From the February 9th 2013 edition
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