U-Prove is a free and open-sourceMicrosoft open-sources clever U-Prove identity framework technology and accompanying software development kit for user-centric identity management. The underlying cryptographic protocols were designed in 1993 by Dr. Stefan BrandsMicrosoft lines up with the good guys on identity tech • The Register and further developed by Credentica and, subsequently, Microsoft.Credentica web site The technology was developed to allow internet users to disclose only the minimum amount of personal data when making electronic transactions as a way to reduce the likelihood of privacy violations.
Overview U-Prove enables application developers to reconcile seemingly conflicting security and privacy objectives (including anonymity), and allows for digital identity claims to be efficiently tied to the use of tamper-resistant devices such as smart cards. Application areas of particular interest include cross-domain enterprise identity and access management, e-government SSO and data sharing, electronic health records, anonymous electronic voting, policy-based digital rights management, social networking data portability, and electronic payments.
In 2008, Microsoft committed to opening up the U-Prove technology. As the first step, in March 2010 the company released a cryptographic specification and open-source API implementation code for part of the U-Prove technology as a Community Technology Preview under Microsoft's Open Specification Promise.RSA Conference: Microsoft Releases Preview of U-Prove Since then, several extensions have been released under the same terms and the technology has been tested in real-life applications.
In 2010, the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) honored U-Prove with the 2010 Privacy Innovation Award for Technology.Privacy Vanguard, HP-IAPP Privacy Innovation Awards announcedMicrosoft U-Prove Technology Wins Another Award | CSO Online
Microsoft also won the European Identity Award in the Best Innovation category for U-Prove at the European Identity Conference 2010.Outstanding projects and initiatives in Identity Management honored | European Identity Conference Blog
The U-Prove Crypto SDK for C# is licensed under Apache License 2.0 and the source code is available on GitHub.GitHub - microsoft/uprove-csharp-sdk: The U-Prove Crypto SDK V1.1 (C# Edition) implements the U-Prove Cryptographic Specification V1.1 Revision 3. This SDK was developed by Microsoft to support experimentation with the foundational features of the U-Prove technology.
Microsoft also provides a JavaScript SDK that implements the client-side of the U-Prove Cryptographic Specification.Download U-Prove JavaScript SDK from Official Microsoft Download Center
See also
Blind signature Zero-knowledge proof Identity metasystem
References
Further reading
External links U-Prove on Credentica.com U-Prove on Microsoft website