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Windows Live ID (previously called .NET Passport and Microsoft Passport Network) is a "unified-login" service developed and provided by Microsoft that allows users to log in to many websites using one account. It was originally positioned as a single sign-on service for all web commerce.

Product overview

Many of these websites include Microsoft services such as Hotmail, MSNBC, all MSN services, Xbox 360's Xbox Live, the .NET Messenger Service or MSN subscriptions, but there are also several other companies affiliated with Microsoft that use it, such as Expedia and Hoyts. Users of Hotmail or MSN automatically have a Microsoft Passport that corresponds to their accounts. Most recently user log in data has started to allow demographic targeting by advertisers using Microsoft adCenter. Microsoft's Windows XP currently has an option to link a Windows user account with a .NET Passport, logging users into the .NET service whenever they log into Windows.

Technical overview

A new user entering a commerce server will first be redirected to the nearest authentication server, which asks for username and password over an SSL-secured connection, unless the user can present a valid GLOBALAUTH-cookie. In return, a newly accepted user (a) has an encrypted time-limited GLOBALAUTH-cookie implanted on his computer and (b) receives a triple-DES encrypted ID-tag that previously has been agreed upon, between the authentication and the commerce server. This ID-tag is then sent to the commerce server, upon which the commerce server plants an encrypted LOCALAUTH-cookie in the user’s computer, also time-limited. The presenting of these LOCAL and GLOBAL cookies to various commerce and authentication servers prevents the need for authentication within the time of validity, as in the Kerberos (protocol).

If the user actively logs out of Passport (or Live ID), these cookies will be removed; however, users are often confused by other commerce server logout functions, and unintentionally leave these cookies intact. The service also depends on users allowing their browsers to ship cookies to servers other than the one they originated from.

Digital Rights

Passport was criticised by the Electronic Frontier Foundation's staff attorney Deborah Pierce as a potential threat to privacy after it was revealed that Microsoft would have full access and usage to customer information. * The privacy terms were quickly updated by Microsoft to allay customers' fears.

Having failed to gain market acceptance, Microsoft has recently stated they will stop usage of Passport for entities outside of its own operations. Despite media reports that Microsoft is phasing out the technology, Microsoft rolled out a major update to the Passport service in May 2005. During 2006, Microsoft will roll out an even larger upgrade to the Passport services called "Windows Live ID", which developers say is not just a name change, but an entire overhaul. Windows Live ID will link all of Windows Live services like Windows Live Mail (Hotmail), Windows Live Messenger (MSN Messenger) and many more.

See also

External links

Identity management systems | Windows Live

Microsoft Passport-Netzwerk | Windows Live ID | Microsoft Passport | Microsoft .NET Passport | Windows Live ID | .NET Passport | Microsoft Passport Network

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Windows Live ID".

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