Anonymous IBM

Anonymizers have built up a strong following due to a flurry of identity-theft cases that have plagued the industry. IBM’s Tivoli group is throwing its hat into the anonymizer ring.

Identity Mixer is a piece of software that allows people to hide
their personal information on the Web to protect them from ID theft and
other foul play.

Called Idemix for short, the software was written by researchers at IBM’s laboratory in Zurich,
Switzerland, to let consumers purchase products and services online while
keeping their personal information safe.

When consumers enter personal details in an e-commerce storefront in
exchange for a product or service, they leave behind a data footprint
revealing the size, frequency and source of their online purchases.

Idemix uses artificial identity information, known as pseudonyms,
to eliminate the digital tracks, making online transactions anonymous
so real identity information can never be intercepted or exposed.
Specifically, the software lets people make purchases without revealing
their credit card numbers, or their home addresses.

Idemix users get an anonymous digital credential, or voucher, from a trusted
third party, such as a bank. The bank provides a credential that includes a
credit card number and expiration date.

When an online purchase is made, the Idemix software digitally seals the
information by transforming the credential so the user can send it to the
online vendor. A new encrypted credential is used for subsequent purchases.

The announcement comes ahead of the RSA Conference in San Francisco where companies such as Microsoft will announce their own security plans.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and other officials are expected
to discuss the company’s CardSpace ID management software and other security products during a keynote on Feb. 6.

IBM said Idemix will form a new privacy layer for the Eclipse Higgins project, an open source movement to create ID management software and an
alternative to Microsoft’s CardSpace.

Nataraj Nagaratnam, chief architect of identity management for IBM Tivoli,
said Idemix could make the Higgins software a more palatable, if not potent
alternative to CardSpace because it puts the control of personal information
into the hands of the users instead of the organizations’ the user is
conducting business with.

The “do-it-yourself” privacy represents a reversal of current trends, where
banks, e-commerce shops and other companies are responsible for masking
their customers’ identity.

But savvy Web users, as evidenced by the growing number of Web breaches in
the last few years, are easily able to break through a business or service
provider’s computer defenses.

IBM believes Idemix’s user-centric approach will ultimately provide more
reliable security for consumers; individuals can control who has access to
their online personal information, rather than having companies manage that
information as they do today.

When Idemix is ready, IBM plans to add the software to the federated
identity management software in its Tivoli line.