By Ben King, 26 September 2001 11:40
NEWS Later today Sun will announce it's own identification and authentication system for web services as a direct rival to Microsoft's controversial Passport. The project is initially to be called Liberty, according to an unnamed source on the Cnet.com website. Microsoft's Passport currently allows web users to register a single user name and log-in at a central point, which can then be used to access a variety of sites without retyping user details. Microsoft also plans to use Passport as a payment system, potentially charging a commission on each transaction - which is where the real commercial value of the system kicks in. The company has been using its Hotmail and MSN web mail services to drive adoption of Passport, as users have to sign up with Passport to join those services. The system will also be built into the new version of the Microsoft operating system, Windows XP. Microsoft's rivals and open source software campaigners are naturally reluctant to allow Microsoft to establish a de facto monopoly of the internet authentication market, but Sun's move will make it the biggest rival to take on Bill Gates in this crucial battleground. AOL has also launched a rival authentication system to Passport. Microsoft has already promised to make its Passport system openly available to third parties, but currently it still plans to retain control of the actual authentication process itself via a central database. The Sun system, on the other hand, will reportedly use a less centralised system based on java cards, which the company is already supplying to the US military.
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