Techcrunch is reporting that Microsoft Healthvault has implemented OpenID via Trustbearer and Verisign:
Over 16 months after first declaringits support for the OpenIDauthentication platform, Microsoft has finally implemented it for the first time, allowing for OpenID logins on its Health Vaultmedical site. Unfortunately, Health Vault will only support authentication from two OpenID providers: Trustbearerand Verisign. Whatever happened to the Open in OpenID?
The rationale behind the limited introduction is that health is sensitive, so access should be limited to the few, most trusted OpenID providers. It certainly makes sense, but it also serves to underscore one of the problems inherent to OpenID: security.
The text-based passwords found scattered across the web simply aren’t very good for protection. We’ve heard countless tales of hacked or phished passwords leading to identity theft - what happens when a user’s entire web presence (including financial and health data) is tied to a single password? It’s a recipe for disaster.
To remedy the issue, a number of companies have come up with different ways to improve security. Trustbearerrequires users to provide a physical ID “token” to verify their identity (users can order a $40 USB stick if they don’t already have one of the acceptable ID cards). Vidoopoffers a free browser-based image authentication system that uses advertising to generate revenue. And so on.
