Federated identity management for protecting users from ID theft

Federated identity management is sometimes criticized as exacerbating the problem of online identity theft, based as it is on the idea of connecting together previously separate islands of identity information. This paper explores this conjecture, and argues that, while such linkages do undeniably increase the potential scope of a successful theft of identity information, this risk is more than offset by the much greater value federated identity, in combination with strong authentication, offers in preventing such theft in the first place.