Fundamentals of Identity & Authentication

The OASIS IDtrust Member Section was formed in 2006, partly on top of the erstwhile PKI Forum and OASIS PKI Member Section, in response to an intensifying yet broadening interest amongst businesses and vendors in the tpics of "identity" and "trust". In this we are probably paralleling the "Identity 2.0" movement.

Many organisations will feel the need to study or re-examine the deeper Fundamentals of Identity & Authentication, before moving onto specific project or implementation issues. This page sets out some of those fundamentals.

Some especially useful materials have been developed by commentators that have experienced the highs and lows (mostly lows) or PKI. See for example PKIX Chair Stephen Kent's presentations on PKI Directions and Challenges to PKI Development, which include deep insights into "trust" and the adequacy of a single identifier.