Google’s Vint Cerf Talks Identifiers vs. Pseudonyms Online

by  Rachel King, ZDNet  

Google chief Internet evangelist and ACM president Vint Cerf, speaking at the 2013 RSA Conference, discussed axiomatic authentication, or pseudonyms versus precise identification.

Cerf touched on the debate concerning digital signatures and just how authoritative the technology is, noting that it often depends on the jurisdiction of where the digital signature was created, given that some countries have passed laws that digital signatures are just as legal as printed signatures.

“There all kinds of details that we have to work out that this can be trusted as much as physical signatures,” he says. “It’s often the case that people try to imbue the digital environment to insist it provide more functionality and assurance than the real world does.”

Cerf challenged the developers and engineers in the audience to design a system that capitalizes on digital signature’s strengths to develop systems to manage or access authenticated devices. However, based on the growing number of connected and mobile devices around the world, Cerf says developers should consider the fact that many of these devices are going to be a part of the human environment. “We want strong authentication to be our friend here,” he notes.  Report