ABSTRACT

Identity management systems aim to help users manage their identifiers, credentials, personal information and the way this information is presented to other parties. By separating the role of an identity provider, that issues credentials to users, from the role of a relying party, several identity management systems allow users to leverage one identifier across multiple Web services. The scale and complexity, combined with the privacy and security requirements demanded of these systems, create steep challenges for usability. In this talk, I posit seven “flaws” or design challenges that must be met if identity management systems are to be usable and accepted by the general public.

BIOGRAPHY

Rachna Dhamija is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Research on Computation and Society at Harvard University. Rachna's research interests span the fields of computer security, human computer interaction and information policy. She received a Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley, where her thesis focused on the design and evaluation of usable security systems. Previously, she worked on electronic payment system privacy and security at CyberCash