As the federal government begins to pilot the use of third-party credentials to authenticate users at three websites, the advocacy group Center for Democracy and Technology this month has published a white paper, Issues for Responsible User-Centric Identity, raising questions it feels must be addressed before user-centric identity systems are fully deployed throughout the government.

User-centric identity refers to systems where users, rather than service providers, control their identity credentials.

"User-centric federated identity systems have the potential to improve the security and privacy of authentication and services for users, but if improperly designed, these systems can negatively impact users and become a burden instead," says white paper author Heather West, a CDT policy analyst.

In an interview with GovInfoSecurity.com, West explains:

West was interviewed by Eric Chabrow, managing editor of GovInfoSecurity.com.