Running software applications from a portable USB drive is not new. Folks have run apache, MAMP, password managers and other software on a USB drive (get a list here). Apart from satisfying the usual ‘I want to do it just so it can be done’ fix, the benefit is that is you can take these anywhere and have those applications and data available for use.
But does this concept work for Identity management as well ? Thinking of OpenID in this context, would we be able to run the standalone identity provider application, say phpMyID, and use it in a meaninful way to login to the plethora of sites that are out there ? May be not. For starters, if I have phpMyID running on the jumpdrive and it is currently plugged in my work laptop, it will not be able to receive requests from the Internet for OpenID authentication, because it is behind a corporate firewall.
There are several third party sites that provide OpenID services. However, the risk factors are the same. I trust Website A just as much as Website B. Both say that they don’t sell my email address, but I do get spammed. Liars, I tell you. Personal Identity Servers have a lot of appeal in this regard. But I am not sure if portable Personal Identity Servers do not seem to stand the tests very well.
Recent Comments