Identity as Key to Online Security

As everything is moving online it's sensible to think about the integrity, security and provenance of critical information.

Corporates have been tackling this for some years now and have "good enough" solutions.  These are based on knowledge the user's identity and rights that is secured by some form of tightly-controlled token such as a smartcard.

But our life outside work is also very important to the citizen transacting personal business online with government, banks, retailers etc.

Extending the corporate model to a world view has been much discussed but little progress made.  Until it is each online interaction will continue to operate under its own set of rules and this serious undermines data security.

Let's not just sit here waiting fora miracle.  Let's instead discuss how a universal system of identity might evolve.  And let's see what we and all do to help.

I have drafted this paper as a starting point. http://www.contented.net/papers/identity_0701.pdf  Your comments and suggestions would be appreciated.