[OpenID] OpenID, P2P and decentralization

[Scott Kveton]

> I get really freaked out when People start talking XFN and identities of any
> kind.

I actually get really excited about this; your OpenID is your public persona
on the Internet IMHO.
 
> Personally I never want my OpenID identifier in ANYONE's XFN file.  This sort
> of social graph portability is highly privacy invasive and goes against the
> "laws" that people should have both control and consent for where PII goes.

It frustrates me to no end to hear the "laws" brought up over and over again
(I understand you put this in quotes which is why I did as well).  For those
that don't know, the "laws" Kaliya is referring to are Kim Cameron's Laws of
identity:

http://www.identityblog.com/stories/2004/12/09/thelaws.html

I don't think this is highly privacy invasive at all.  People make this
information public all the time (and continue to do so) on many sites today.
Connecting OpenID with XFN simply makes it easier to do what people are
already doing.  If helping make the Internet easier for people is against
the "law", then I personally think the laws need to be changed.

This is already happening.  Making sure it is done with open technologies
like OpenID and microformats ensure that we aren't locked into any one
vendor in the space.
 
> I get that many folks here are not concerned about where they end up in other
> peoples social graphs and how they are ported around the web without their
> knowledge.  I am.  Many people do. Many people do who will be users of OpenID.

I'd like to offer a differing view point.  I don't think many people do.  I
think most people want the Internet to be easier.  I think most people want
to participate in social networking of the kind that can be enabled with
things like XFN.

I'm not trying to give you grief Kaliya, just pointing out another viewpoint
on the matter.

- Scott