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The post office idea doesn't solve all that much. People tend to conflate two different problems: * Is the person real with a legal presence somewhere? * Is

by 7952 14y ago

The post office idea doesn't solve all that much. People tend to conflate two different problems: * Is the person real with a legal presence somewhere? * Is the user the same unique person who logged in last time? Most websites need to establish uniqueness rather than real world identity. Giving websites data about real identity actually puts the user at greater risk. Do I have to enter a social security or driving licence number online so the post office can link the accounts?

Zenst 14y ago
Far from having to give more information if anything you could give far less. Post office of other physical trusted source would have that and issue a reset code that would be validated via the trusted route to the post office. So for example. You create a login to this site, you give usual stuff and in the password reset options register a unique ID number that would be issues by the post office and any rests of passwords and indeed verification could be handeled via a external source in this case the post office who can offer a physical verification as and when needed. Sites would have to support such things but in a day when we have official identification for physical verification of who we are then digitaly it all boild down to trust. Certainly when you have to reset a password you are in a situation which the site may have many ways to verify you and that is done by taking more information than they need sometimes. So in effect a form of national ID card that would be to the people advantage and allow them to protect themselfs if they forget passwords is certainly one solution. But the whole area of verifiying a user who has forgoten there password is one of those problems that really has no magic solution without the site holding more information than they need to hold. The option at least to have a secure/trusted 3rd party able to do that verification and issue a new password or token that can be used to obtain a new password is certainly a solution. But as for the website having real user details, that would not be so, they would have number which could be one of many the user has and with that nothing more than they get now from a IP or MAC or email address and in many respects the ability to protect there anomanimity with website far greater than they have now. Sure the authorities would be able to know who is who, fake name/deatils on websites or not, but they can do that already. Certainly having the option instead of not for many would be a solution they would prefer. So in short, no you wont be handing website private information, if anything you would offer them less.
- 7952 14y ago
  .That makes no sense. How do the post office know that you are resetting the password of an account you have legitimate access to without the website storing personal details. I suppose you could have a .post office OpenId but that would still require people to go to the post office once at the start which would make people less likely to sign up

by 7952 14y ago

Zenst 14y ago

Far from having to give more information if anything you could give far less. Post office of other physical trusted source would have that and issue a reset code that would be validated via the trusted route to the post office. So for example. You create a login to this site, you give usual stuff and in the password reset options register a unique ID number that would be issues by the post office and any rests of passwords and indeed verification could be handeled via a external source in this case the post office who can offer a physical verification as and when needed. Sites would have to support such things but in a day when we have official identification for physical verification of who we are then digitaly it all boild down to trust. Certainly when you have to reset a password you are in a situation which the site may have many ways to verify you and that is done by taking more information than they need sometimes. So in effect a form of national ID card that would be to the people advantage and allow them to protect themselfs if they forget passwords is certainly one solution. But the whole area of verifiying a user who has forgoten there password is one of those problems that really has no magic solution without the site holding more information than they need to hold. The option at least to have a secure/trusted 3rd party able to do that verification and issue a new password or token that can be used to obtain a new password is certainly a solution. But as for the website having real user details, that would not be so, they would have number which could be one of many the user has and with that nothing more than they get now from a IP or MAC or email address and in many respects the ability to protect there anomanimity with website far greater than they have now. Sure the authorities would be able to know who is who, fake name/deatils on websites or not, but they can do that already. Certainly having the option instead of not for many would be a solution they would prefer. So in short, no you wont be handing website private information, if anything you would offer them less.

7952 14y ago
.That makes no sense. How do the post office know that you are resetting the password of an account you have legitimate access to without the website storing personal details. I suppose you could have a .post office OpenId but that would still require people to go to the post office once at the start which would make people less likely to sign up