Some who follow this blog may remember the entry last December about Digital Identity. I reported then that
XNSORG donated its remarkable XNS technology to OASIS (a not-for-profit, global consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of e-business standards). The technology will now be called XRI (eXtensible Resource Identifier). OASIS doesn't allow trademarks as names for the standards under its control and XNSORG holds a trademark on XNS in the public interest. So, a name change has been made but it is the same technology.
The OASIS group responsible for XRI has been hard at work and I'm hearing rumblings that version 1.0 of the specification will be announced very soon.
The promise when this project was delegated to OASIS created high expectations. "XRI will be the foundational element of a digital identity infrastructure. Things like trust and reputation will soon be commonplace on the Internet. No more SPAM! Safe financial transactions will be a no-brainer. Computer viruses will be much less prevalent. XRI will speed the transition to an extraordinary future."
The digital ID conversation has matured a lot in the past year. The Liberty Alliance has moved forward with great clarity of purpose. Large enterprises, consumer advocacy groups, interested technology watchers are all pretty much onboard, but the growing volume of consumers wanting to gain control of their information cannot be ignored. Will XRI find its niche in this environment? I think so, big time.
The thing those of us who have been watching closely hope for is a system that will put people in control of their digital identity. For too long the power leading the march forward has been corporate America. Whether its healthcare, financial transactions, Web services, or staying in touch with friends, the person who is the subject of the digital identity should be in control of how that identity resource is used and by whom.
I will publish the announcement of XRI specification 1.0 as soon as it is available.
