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Government launches login.gov to simplify access to public services

18f.gsa.gov

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Re: Government launches login.gov to simplify access to public services

#31

Post by pdabbadabba »

This appears valuable and well executed, but I worry that private businesses will be eager to outsource their authentication to this service, if they are allowed to. And once it's fully stood up, I suspect the government would be all too eager to oblige.

This might be convenient, but might also mark the beginning of a major new point of U.S. government control over the Internet, with all the surveillance and other civil liberties issues that this might raise, to say nothing of the issues that could arise from this degree of centralization.

Now seems like the time to set the expectation that this service may not ever be used by private websites. Of course, we tried that with Social Security numbers too, for all the good it did us. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/26/weekinreview/the-nation-no...

Re: Government launches login.gov to simplify access to public services

#34

Post by castis »

forforthought wrote: post #18

Given that this is a typical identity provider, I'm curious there's interest to make this service available to the saas industry at large. For example, I'd rather NOT have to manage login credentials for my bank, mortgage car payment, and various airlines. I'd rather let login.gov handle it. Moreover, as a saas provider, I wouldn't mind deferring this liability to someone other than google or facebook.

Over the past few years, I have been conditioned to be weary of handing even more control over my personal life to the government than they already have. Assuming they open this up to private businesses (which I don't believe they're planning to), I wouldn't use any business that uses this service.

I apologize if this sounds futile or like I'm donning my tinfoil hat, but my guard is way up these days.

Re: Government launches login.gov to simplify access to public services

#35

Post by Micoloth »

forforthought wrote: post #18

Given that this is a typical identity provider, I'm curious there's interest to make this service available to the saas industry at large. For example, I'd rather NOT have to manage login credentials for my bank, mortgage car payment, and various airlines. I'd rather let login.gov handle it. Moreover, as a saas provider, I wouldn't mind deferring this liability to someone other than google or facebook.

To me, this is the right attitude towards this. Really? Are you more scared by your own democratic government than by facebook?

Besides i'm not even american, so whatever

Re: Government launches login.gov to simplify access to public services

#36

Post by spencerhakim »

pdabbadabba wrote: post #31

This appears valuable and well executed, but I worry that private businesses will be eager to outsource their authentication to this service, if they are allowed to. And once it's fully stood up, I suspect the government would be all too eager to oblige. This might be convenient, but might also mark the beginning of a major new point of U.S. government control over the Internet, with all the surveillance and other ci…

Given the alternative of handing out my SSN and hoping for the best, I'd be more than happy to use this for banking and related services. Presumably, third-party use would be covered by some form of ToS, and maybe we'd see actual repercussions for leaking data that originated here.

Re: Government launches login.gov to simplify access to public services

#37

Post by throwawaythrow1 »

It's interesting that no one here has yet mentioned the UK government system "Verify". Fundamentally there are different authentication mechanisms and idealogies at work, but it's the same UK CESG GPG implementation as Verify. I genuinely wonder if the US people understand the privacy implications of a central authenticating party as opposed to many federated ones?

Re: Government launches login.gov to simplify access to public services

#39

Post by chipperyman573 »

mholt wrote: post #17
jasonjayr wrote: post #14

login.gov is using "Let's Encrypt", which is kinda awesome :) Should they have used an EV certificate?

Nah. DV gives you the same cryptographic guarantees, but with the benefit of 100% automation.

To add to this, a US government site does not need this, because only the US government site can register a .gov domain.
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