OpenID in Science Authenticating Scientists on the Web Duncan Hull http://twitter.com/dullhunk The University of Manchester Science Online London The Royal Institution, August 2009

Scientists contributions are increasingly digital in Nature Contributions to electronic knowledge: Not just electronic publications in online journals… but also Edits to wikis Software development Blog posts, online conversations (mailing lists, blog comments, www.researchblogging.org etc) Standards Development and maintenance of public databases

Contributions to electronic knowledge:

Not just electronic publications in online journals… but also

Edits to wikis

Software development

Blog posts, online conversations

(mailing lists, blog comments, www.researchblogging.org etc)

Standards

Development and maintenance of public databases

Authentication via username + password to prove we are who we say we are when we make digital contributions

to prove we are who we say we are when we make digital contributions

We have way too many usernames and passwords! http://tinyurl.com/too-many-passwords Simon Willison (The Guardian) The average user has [at least] 18 user accounts and 3.49 passwords” This is the problem that OpenID is addressing

How OpenID works stuff http://www.myexperiment.org (3rd party)

stuff

Open ID is quickly becoming widespread “ 42,235 sites are now enabled to accept OpenID logins” source http://blog.janrain.com/2009/05/relying-party-stats-as-of-may-1-2009.html

“ 42,235 sites are now enabled to accept OpenID logins” source http://blog.janrain.com/2009/05/relying-party-stats-as-of-may-1-2009.html

But there are usability “issues” http://albert.einstein.name [email_address] mcsquared OR + 84% 16% Out of 2,300 myexperiment users:

Conclusions The idea of having one username and password makes a lot of sense but: Usability issues URL as a username can confuse Redirection to a third party on login can confuse Adoption of OpenID is growing but might not continue If you’d like to know more about OpenID and related topics in digital identity…

The idea of having one username and password makes a lot of sense but:

Usability issues

URL as a username can confuse

Redirection to a third party on login can confuse

Adoption of OpenID is growing but might not continue

If you’d like to know more about OpenID and related topics in digital identity…

http://www.xmlsummerschool.com Web services and Identity http://xmlsummerschool.com/curriculum2009/web-services-identity/

http://www.xmlsummerschool.com

Web services and Identity

http://xmlsummerschool.com/curriculum2009/web-services-identity/