OpenID is an open, decentralized, free framework for user-centric digital identity. To test it and play with it I've implemented my own OpenID server on my webspace. I've also added OpenID authentication support for my blog. Everybody out there should now be able to authenticate with an OpenID and comment on my blog entries.

Would you like to have your own OpenID? If so, go to http://myopenid.com and sign up for your own free OpenID! If you already have an OpenID and would like to check if it works properly, try the free OpenID check service.

OpenID is a free and open standard to prove ownership of a URI. Today, websites require usernames and passwords to login, which means that many people use the same password everywhere. Using an OpenID for authentication your URI becomes your username, and your password (or other credentials) stays safely stored on your OpenID Provider (which you can run yourself on a server of your choice, or use a third-party identity provider).

To login to an OpenID-enabled website (even one you've never been to before), just type your OpenID URI. The website will then redirect you to your OpenID Provider to login using whatever credentials it requires. Once authenticated, your OpenID provider will send you back to the website with the necessary credentials to log you in.

By setting up your own OpenID provider the whole authentication process is under your own control!

It's your own webpage where you get redirected to, it's your own form asking your credentials and it's your own code authenticating you! Doesn't that sound more trustworthy than someone else - an unknown entity - verifying your identify? It also allows you to identify yourself by your own means! Would you like to identify yourself with an X509 Certificate? Or by biometrical means? Just do it... it's your own server were the identification process takes place!

If you are interested in the details of how this works, check the http://openid.net site for further informations.