Welcome To The Social-Web!
Knowing who you are interacting with online has become extremely important. Social networks, provide their members' identity attributes however, the information provided in these profiles is "self-asserted" - you have no reliable way to determine if they are accurate or not.
This situation creates an opportunity for individuals of questionable intent, who, with disturbing ease, can pose as someone you think you know. Once they've gained your confidence, these individuals can then take advantage of you by fleecing you of your money, personal information or reputation. In a worst-case scenario, they may even cause you physical harm. You need to know who you're dealing with!
Who Can You Trust?
Successful online communities embody an internal contradiction. They facilitate “anonymous” social interactions, helping users make friends, find jobs, date potential mates and conduct transactions. This however, creates ideal conditions for abusive behaviors. Sexual predators are prowling the social networks, while bigots troll the forums, potential mates misrepresent themselves and con artists haunt the marketplaces.
What makes the Social Web useful also makes it dangerous but online communities have difficulty reining in this dark side. Everyone seems to agree that some means of verifying an individuals web-identity is necessary. Yet, this solution must accommodate the nature of the online world. People online have come to expect anonymity in their interactions. A real-world passport or driver’s license would reveal unnecessary information - home addresses and often social security numbers. This would not be advisable online.
Thus, unlike a passport, an online credential should be customized by its user, to reveal only those aspects of his identity he is comfortable revealing to particular audiences. For example, the user would have no reason to reveal his last name on an online dating site. Only the personal information that is appropriate and necessary given the context of the specific interaction should be revealed.