Government cyberspace plan could help in fight against identity theft
June 28, 2010 – 9:32 amThe White House, partnered with other public and private sector organizations, has released a plan to promote safer data exchange online.
The government’s proposed plan, called the National Strategy for Trusted Entities in Cyberspace, seeks to address issues such as the safety of personal health information and banking data. The system will rely heavily on an “identity ecosystem,” an online environment that would reduce the need for multiple passwords and logins by offering people the opportunity to obtain a secure, interoperable credential for multiple-use authentication.
The infrastructure would allow people to complete online transactions in confidence, and allow them to trust one another and the organizations found there.
The government will first adopt the system for government services, and it would work to identify and facilitate pilot programs in the health care, information technology and financial sectors.
This national approach to online identity could be key in preventing fraud and abuse online, and will require a partnership between the public and private sectors.
The system would work like this: a person can voluntarily choose to obtain a secure, interoperable and privacy-enhancing credential, like a smart identity card or a digital certificate on a cell phone, from a variety of public and private service providers. The device would be used to authenticate that individual online for various transactions like banking, accessing electronic health records, sending e-mails, etc.
According to a government press release, the system would also allow a user to have more control of private information used to authenticate that user online, and would require only one user name and password for a multitude of functions.
Tags: cyberspace, government, identity theft
