Hardware Based ID Exchange for Social Networks

Convener & Notes-taker: David Brown

Technology Discussed/Considered:

Hardware Tokens and Mobile phone applications for transferring contact data between users.

Discussion notes:

Hardware ID Tokens for Social Networking: Some observations from Poken’s experience

User needs

• Authentication (a web 1.0 problem)
• Bank login
• Corporate VPN
• Exchange of IDs (a web 2.0 problem)
• Lets meet on facebook, etc.
• Portable contacts / open social
• Price
• Low cost hardware is possible

Anatomy of a token 2.0

• Communicate between themselves
• To transfer IDs
• Process/Store
  • manage an ID securely
• Record communicated IDs
• Communicate to a computer/the Internet
• Relate the Token IDs to identity card data

1) Communication between Tokens

• Wireless?
• WiFi, Bluetooth, IR – all have “crowded room” and parametization problems
• RFID, NFC – passive/active problem
• Physical connection?
• Not user friendly
• Mobile phone based?
• Needs s/w install, fragmented hardware/OS market
• Wireless (WiFi, Bluetooth, IR) - as above
• Camera, QR code
• Operator vs. manufacturer politics/conflicts

1) Communication between Tokens

• The solution (according to Poken)
• Needs a spontaneous data exchange solution designed for this purpose
• Usability/ergonomics important for this specific human interaction
• Wireless is most natural
• Active/active
• Small form factor & price

2) Process/Store

• Low end processor
• Can work around processor limitations to do 128bit encryption/authentication because data transfer siue is small
• Store communicated IDs
• FIFO store (eg. For last 64 contacts)

3) Communicate to a computer/Internet

• USB works fine
• Emulate USB mass storage
• Computer provides:
  • Internet networking
  • TCP/IP, DNS
  • SSL over the internet
• Web infrastructure provides:
  • Token ID to Identity cards data
  • Data portability, APIs
• Future: OpenID providers, Higgins, etc.

Token 2.0 side features

• Timelines
• Parental control
• If my child met them in the real world then they can friend them online
• Low cost alternative for some Token 1.0 uses
• Trust