Mozilla Lab’s BrowserID – taking web authentication to the next level

Keeping track of multiple logins, passwords and services on Internet can be tedious at best, and projects like OpenID have tried to target that and make it easier and more secure for end users. Learning the lessons from OpenId and having a multitude of ideas how this can be made even better, Mozilla Labs has created BrowserID.

What is BrowserID?

BrowserID aims to offer you one single log-in to web sites and services, connected through your e-mail address, and you can also naturally add more than one to the same account. The thinking is that you will always remember your e-mail address, and not some made-up user name or URL.

I and Christian Heilmann have a write-up entitled Introducing BrowserID – easier and safer authentication on the web that I would please ask of you to read.

We would love feedback, so please let us know your thoughts and hopes for this!

4 Comments

  • David Naylor says:

    Glad someone finally asked. I love the idea! And the sooner I can start using it in Firefox the better!

  • Robert Nyman says:

    David,

    Good to hear!
    You can use it in a lot of web browsers right now – just not for production web sites just yet. But yes, I agree, when this becomes native in web browsers it could prove to be very exciting!

  • Carlos says:

    I guess this is a very good idea but only to be used in a very personal computer such a laptop or a mobile device. for example in a computer located in your work I don’t think is a good idea to provide a global login. If a user logs in a site and then leaves this place for some moments, all his data would be unprotected. Anyone could login in any site with the usr & pwd of the careless user

  • Robert Nyman says:

    Carlos,

    Well, absolutely, but that risk remains no matter which login approach you use. That’s why I’d recommend learning more about Private Browsing to protect yourself more.

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