U-Prove is a free and open-source[1] technology and accompanying software development kit[2] for user-centric identity management. The underlying cryptographic protocols were designed by Dr. Stefan Brands[3] and further developed by Credentica and, subsequently, Microsoft.[4] The technology was developed to allow internet users to disclose only the minimum amount of personal data when making electronic transactions as a way to reduce the likelihood of privacy violations.[5]
Overview
U-Prove enables application developers to reconcile seemingly conflicting security and privacy objectives (including anonymity), and allows for digital identity claims to be efficiently tied to the use of tamper-resistant devices such as smart cards. Application areas of particular interest include cross-domain enterprise identity and access management, e-government SSO and data sharing, electronic health records, anonymous electronic voting, policy-based digital rights management, social networking data portability, and electronic payments.
In 2008, Microsoft committed to opening up the U-Prove technology.[1] As the first step, in March 2010 the company released a cryptographic specification and open-source API implementation code for part of the U-Prove technology as a Community Technology Preview under Microsoft's Open Specification Promise.[6] Since then, several extensions have been released under the same terms and the technology has been tested in real-life applications.
In 2010, the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) honored U-Prove with the 2010 Privacy Innovation Award for Technology.[7][8]
Microsoft also won the European Identity Award in the Best Innovation category for U-Prove at the European Identity Conference 2010.[9]
The U-Prove Crypto SDK for C# is licensed under Apache License 2.0 and the source code is available on GitHub.[10]
Microsoft also provides a JavaScript SDK that implements the client-side of the U-Prove Cryptographic Specification.[11]
See also
References
- ^ a b Microsoft open-sources clever U-Prove identity framework
- ^ Gelfand, Alexander. "Startup Plans to Solve Online Identity Theft, But Does Anyone Care?". Wired.
- ^ Microsoft lines up with the good guys on identity tech • The Register
- ^ Credentica web site
- ^ "Microsoft buys U-Prove technology | Computerworld". Archived from the original on 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
- ^ RSA Conference: Microsoft Releases Preview of U-Prove
- ^ Privacy Vanguard, HP-IAPP Privacy Innovation Awards announced
- ^ Microsoft U-Prove Technology Wins Another Award | CSO Online
- ^ Outstanding projects and initiatives in Identity Management honored | European Identity Conference Blog
- ^ GitHub - microsoft/uprove-csharp-sdk: The U-Prove Crypto SDK V1.1 (C# Edition) implements the U-Prove Cryptographic Specification V1.1 Revision 3. This SDK was developed by Microsoft to support experimentation with the foundational features of the U-Prove technology.
- ^ Download U-Prove JavaScript SDK from Official Microsoft Download Center
Further reading
- Stefan Brands (2000). Rethinking Public Key Infrastructures and Digital Certificates; Building in Privacy (1 ed.). The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-02491-8.
- Christian Paquin; Greg Zaverucha (2013). "U-Prove Cryptographic Specification V1.1 (Revision 3)" (PDF). Microsoft Corporation.
- Christian Paquin (2013). "U-Prove Technology Overview V1.1 (Revision 2)" (PDF). Microsoft Corporation.
External links
- U-Prove on Credentica.com
- U-Prove on Microsoft website
- uprove-csharp-sdk on GitHub
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