Government, private sector and consumer groups all push for solutions

by Zack Martin, Editor, Avisian Publications

The old saying goes: On the Internet nobody knows you’re a dog.

But that may not be the case for much longer. Efforts from corporations, the U.S. government and others may provide a trusted and secure way to identify individuals on the Internet. Momentum seems to be building to stem the potential “identity crisis” in the U.S.

A White House review of U.S. cybersecurity, released in May, showed significant weaknesses in cybersecurity and making better use of identity management systems is one precaution that can be taken to improve the situation, according to the report.

“We cannot improve cybersecurity without improving authentication, and identity management is not just about authenticating people,” the report states. “Authentication mechanisms also can help ensure that online transactions only involve trustworthy data, hardware, and software for networks and devices.”