Posted November 23rd, 2009 Continuing Burton Group’s work of social networking and social media, I’ve been having various forms of this conversation over the last few weeks. First, I was at TechAmerica talking about social networks, privacy, and data breaches. Although the audio isn’t great, you can get the gist from this video. Then I was talking to the guys from InfoChimps ahead of their debut of some huge Twitter datasets. (The potential for data they have is pretty breath-taking.) Meanwhile, I am prep’ing a more formalized version of this talk for an upcoming OWASP event. With all this activity I thought I’d share a part of it.
On the whole, people have no problem using social networking tools. Whether for personal or for work reasons more and more people are using a variety of tools to share and connect. And in this regard, we can think of social tools as engines for disclosure. Although people are relatively comfortable making disclosures such as “had a great meal in Ottawa” or “have to burn the midnight oil to get this blog post done,” people feel uncomfortable when these disclosures appear in other places. This feeling is akin to reaching into your computer bag and finding a long lost banana: a little foreign, a little gross, and a little strange. People often want to keep their social structures separates and, using a highly technical word, people feel oogy when they discover that something they have disclosed (an activity, a group they may have joined, a relationship they formed, a trip they have taken, etc) is known by other people in other networks. Continue reading "Why seeing your social activities again seems so uncomfortable?"...
Posted November 17th, 2009 A friend in the industry recently asked me for my thoughts on OpenID, InfoCards, and the US federal government’s work to consume non-government issued credentials. Letting the question rattle around in my head for a while, here’s what I’ve got so far.
My hope is that the overall ICAM initiative is successful—not because I have been eagerly waiting to interact with the federal government using some form of authenticated credential—but because we (citizens, enterprises and government) are at a pivotal moment in the history of the web. With the US government working with both the OpenID and InfoCard Foundations, there exists an opportunity to change how individuals interact with large organizations, both public and private. For the first time, individuals would be able to (even encouraged to) interact with a large organization (such as the US federal government) using an identity asserted, not by the large organization, but by the individual. In this case, the State is no longer the sole provider of identity. This breaks the monopoly that the State has had on credentials and is indicative of the future to come.
But there is a long road to walk before getting there. There are numerous concerns with these plans. Among these are notable security concerns, especially with OpenID, that the identity community is not blind to. These are not my primary concerns. Continue reading "Hopes and concerns for identity"...
Posted November 16th, 2009 Two friends of mine have finally decided to get blogging. Yes, I know that blogging seems passé to some of you out there, but it still has it purpose.
First up – Tuesdaynight’s very own Josh Nanberg has launched his eponymous blog. Josh is one of the few people I know who can
- breakdown political messaging techniques in to something I can understand
- cook a four course meal in a 1 course kitchen
- reference deeply obscure music lyrics
all at the same time.
Next up – my friend and mentor, Rob Ciampa has decided to divert his seemingly boundless energies into a bit of blogging. Besides having an encyclopedic knowledge French wine, a photographic memory for menus, and a typical Boston potty-mouth, Rob is one of the best corporate marketers and channel managers I have ever met.
Admittedly neither blog has much content but I know these guys, and I know what’s to come. You’ll want to know it to.
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