I posted my first artile about the Identity Map on November 10th. It seems like an eternity ago. I originally intended to publish a series of articles, one each day, to describe my perspective about Identity Attributes. However, the press of daily work frequently pre-empted blogging, so it took much longer than expected. Now, on the last day before Christmas break, I finally took the time to complete the series of posts.

If you’re interested, here is a Table of Contents for the series:

• Identity Map – the introduction
• Core Identity
• Characteristics
• Names
• Reputation
• Relationships
• Roles
• Locations
• Experience
• Knowledge
• Physical Identity
• Digital Identity
• Blended Identity

I don’t know if you will find this useful, but it has been an enlightening and enjoyable experience for me. Thanks for taking the time to visit.

Tags: Identity
Digital Identity
Identity Management
Identity Map

Blended: “Combined into an integrated whole to produce a harmonious effect.“

I use Blended Identity as a term referring to documents or devices containing a combination of Physical and Digital Identities. A couple of examples include:

• Smart Card. My Sun ID badge includes my printed name and a photo (both Physical Identity attributes) plus a magnetic stripe and smart card device (both containing Digital Identity information).
• Credit Card. I included this in the list of Physical Identity Tokens because it contains printed information about a person, but it is really a Blended Identity Token because of the magnetic stripe containing Digital Identity Information.

Magnetic stripes, smart card chips and barcodes are widely used technologies for embedding Digital Identity information in Physical Identity tokens. RFID technology is becoming increasingly popular as a means of embedding Digital Identity information in physical devices.

A proposal to attach RFID devices to passports has generated considerable controversy.

[Back to the Identity Map]

Tags: Identity
Digital Identity
Identity Management
Identity Map
Smart Card
RFID

Digital: “Of or relating to data in the form of numerical digits.”

Digital Identity refers to digital representation of Identity Attributes for an individual. The purpose of the Identity Map is to categorize and explore Identity Attributes that may have value as Digital Identities.

Wikipedia states two definitions for Digital Identity:

• Digital identity refers to the aspect of digital technology that is concerned with the mediation of people’s experience of their own identity and the identity of other people and things.
• Digital identity also has another common usage as the digital representation of a set of claims made by one digital subject about itself or another digital subject.

The latter definition is precisely the one used in Kim Cameron’s Laws of Identity. I don’t who specified this definition first.

The whole field of Identity Management is focused on the management of Digital Identities and using these Identities to enable secure online interchange between people or between people and systems. Digital Identity claims or assertions are the basis of establishing such trusting relationship between digital subjects.

Digital Identities include only a small subset of the Identity Attributes that below to and individual.For example, a Digital Identity representing me may include my name, address, phone number, user ID and password, but certainly wouldn’t include all my knowledge or experiences.

One person may have many Digital Identities, each representing him or her in a unique way. For example, my Digital Identity on Yahoo is significantly different than my Digital Identity at Sun Microsystems. Each Digital Identity services a different purpose.

[Back to the Identity Map]

Tags: Identity Digital Identity Identity Management Identity Map

Physical: “Having material existence.”

Physical Identity refers to a physical document or device that contains Identity Attributes for an individual. Examples include:

• Drivers license
• Passport
• Credit card
• Birth certificate
• Diploma
• University Transcript

These items are regularly used to validate the Identity of an individual. Each of these examples is issued by an authoritative third party. Other items, such as a resume, may be self-issued, but not deemed authoritative. Validation of claims made on a resume may be subject to third-party confirmation.

[Back to the Identity Map]

Tags: Identity
Digital Identity
Identity Management
Identity Map

Knowledge:
"the fact or condition of having information"

Accumulated information or knowledge is a key differentiator between individuals.

Knowledge acquistion arises out of experience – thoughts and actions may lead to knowledge. Knowledge implies retention of information, not just exposure to it. For example, two students may read the same text and retain significantly different amounts of knowledge.

We in the information industry speak much of knowledge workers or knowledge management, implying that accumulated or applied knowlege has significant worth.

An interesting tenet of the religion I espouse states that “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” (Doctrine & Covenants 130:18-19)

Some knowledge is widely shared. For example, knowledge of the English language is shared by millions of people.

Other knowledge is public, but not well known. For example, you probably don’t know the names of my children, although that information is publicly available.

Some knowledge is private. For example, I share my Social Security Number only with trusted parties.

The more private the knowledge, the less likely it can be used by an identity thief to impersonate another person.

Someday I’ll write a blog about Knowledge and Truth. But today I’ll close with another theological statement about the relationship between knowledge and truth: “And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” (Doctrine & Covenants 93:24)

[Back to the Identity Map]

Tags: Identity
Digital Identity
Identity Management
Identity Map

Experience:
"the conscious events that make up an individual life"

As individuals grow up and move through life, they accumulate experiences which further differentiate each person from another.

Experiences arise out of thoughts and actions. From an theological standpoint, “… the Book of Life is the total of a person’s thoughts and actions—the record of his life.” (Guide to the Scriptures)

In his famous statement Cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am, ) Rene Descartes uses the existence of thought to infer the existence of life.

Thoughts lead naturally to actions. A well-known Proverb states, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7

Although experiences in and of themselves can be classified as differntiating attributes, they lead naturally to the formation of other classes of attributes. For example:

1. Experiences between people can establish relationships.
2. Experience can lead to knowledge, but two people having the same experience don’t necessarily gain the same knowledge.
3. Experiences can establish reputation, either positive or negative.
4. Experiences lead to new a person assuming different roles.
5. Experiences help establish characteristics like physical health or emotional state.
6. Experiences can lead people to be in different locations.

Experiences can be happy or sad, euphoric or mundane, significant or trivial. It is the highly different sum of experiences that adds uniqueness to a person’s core identity.

[Back to the Identity Map]

Tags: Identity  
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Identity Management  
Identity Map

CIO Magazine reports that Maricopa County,
Arizona, where I live, is the Identity Theft capital of the nation. OUCH!

It seems that our county government’s award-winning move to post public records on line has empowered the bad guys.

Tags: Identity
Digital Identity
Identity Management
Identity Theft
Arizona