The Liberty version 1.0 specifications focus on interoperability between systems. They enable opt-in account linking and simplified sign-on functionality, allowing users to decide whether to link accounts with various identity providers.
According to the Liberty Alliance, the specifications allow businesses to connect heterogeneous systems in order to handle identification and authorisation in a more efficient and controlled manner.
The aim of Liberty Alliance is to allow consumers to create a digital identity for themselves on the internet. Microsoft, the first company to develop its own digital identity software in the form of MS Passport, has declined to participate in the Liberty Alliance Project.
The specifications are published openly to give all companies the opportunity to develop compatible products.
A spokesman for the Liberty alliance said:
“Less than a year after the Liberty Alliance Project was formed, we’ve made solid progress in delivering a secure, technologically agnostic identification solution that can support a wide range of identity products and network devices. We’ve done this by not only leveraging the best existing industry-support standards when possible, but also relying on the combined experience of our many member companies.”