A new group within the LibertyAlliance will address government concerns with federatedidentity projects, the organization said Wednesday.
The Liberty Alliance is a consortium of companies andorganizations working on technology and policy standards foridentity projects.
The eGovernment Group will focus business,technical and policy issues, with an emphasis on privacy andsecurity issues.
The alliance has supported a range of protocols and standardsthat companies can implement to allow users to move easily from oneWeb site to another without having to key in a login and passwordagain, among other functions.
Companies stand to gain greater efficiency in dealing withpasswords by federating identities while also streamlining how their Websites interact.
The eGovernment Group includes representatives from Denmark,Finland, France, Korea, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. Thegroup is chaired by Colin Wallis, of the New Zealand Government’sState Services Commission.
The countries represented so far are on the forefront ofe-government projects, wrote Graham Titterington, Ovum PLC analyst,in a research note.
The announcement has commercial significance going beyond thepublic sector, he said.
“This initiative is another indication that the Libertyspecifications are resonating with major IT user organizations,this time in the public sector,” Titterington wrote. “Governmentshave considerable influence as role models for the consumer sector,and there is scope for sharing identity networks with the privatesector.”