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Concepts of Identity within the Internet of Things

Version: 0.03


Archives of this paper: http://kantarainitiative.org/confluence/display/IDoT/Concepts+of+Identity+within+the+Internet+of+Things

Change history:

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe identity concepts in the Internet of Things. Identity mechanisms in the Internet of Things are different from those in the classic web.
Furthermore this paper proposes a terminology for Identity management in the Internet of Things. This should help to facilitate discussions and work in this area without the need to define basic terms again.

Introduction
….

Object Identifiers (Scott)

Object Identifiers are simply the names assigned to things. Object Identifiers can refer to objects of many types, including variation between abstract classes and actual instances and physical devices versus logical objects.  All of these things and more are named.

On Object Identifiers vs ITU-T OIDs

 

Note that ITU-T defines a number of specifications pertaining to Object Identifiers (OIDs), but other implementations that are not ITU-T OIDs also can be considered Object Identifiers.  In this document we will use “OID” to refer to ITU-T OIDs, and “Object Identifier” to refer to the concept more broadly.

 

Types of Identifiers

 

·         Instances versus Class – does the identifier refer to a thing or to a type of thing?

 

·         Unique versus non-unique – is every identifier issued to only one object?

 

·         Synonyms versus no synonyms – are objects permitted multiple synonymous identifiers?

 

·         Governance options – How are names registered and managed?  Does one authority control the entire namespace, or is there hierarchical management?

 

·         Human-usable versus machine-usable

 

·         Global versus local namespace

 

Types of Objects

 

The concept of object identification applies to numerous types of objects. Names can identify specific instances of objects or they can refer to classes of object – consider a network device, it is important to identify the specific network interface associated with that device, and it is also important to identify the type of device.

 

·         Physical versus Logical

 

·         What else?

 

Physical Objects

 

Object Identifiers are applied to any number of things found in the physical world: computing devices, mobile devices, servers, network infrastructure, meters, sensors, cameras, actuators, locks, medical implants, vehicles (and vehicle components) and more.  Each of those things can be referenced by an identifier, and additional identifying information can be conveyed regarding relationships to other objects.  For example a server may have a unique hostname, but also be assigned a number of IP addresses corresponding to its physical network interfaces.  The full identification of the system would include the name of the server, the IP address of each network interface and the association between the server and the network interfaces. 

 

ITU-T OIDs can be used to refer to physical objects, prominently in the Management Information Base (MIBs) used by the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

 

Logical Objects

 

In addition to physical things, the area of identification of logical objects deserves consideration.  Logical objects include software, services, data and databases, documents and other digital objects, and more.  Identification of software is an area of considerable interest to a number of organizations, and approaches include Software ID Tags and the Common Platform Enumeration.  ITU-T OIDs can be used to refer to a number of logical objects, including (TBD pull from OID flyer).  Web services can be identified by the URL used to access them.  The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) standard is standardized as ISO 26324:2012, and provides a way of directly referencing digital objects as opposed to using a URL to identify how to access the document, which may not remain valid over time.



Ownership of objects


Unlike in the classic web object identities have in most cases an owner, user, administrator or other related persons or objects.



Lifecycle of objects
The lifecycle of objects might be different from identity of individuals. And object can be brought to existence. It can be assigned to an owner. An object might also change its owner. And object can technically disappear. The life cycle might be significant shorter or longer than in classic Identify management.This can lead to dynamic changes in routing, identity management etc….TBD
Object identifier and namespace
An object identifier addresses an object within a defined name space. Example: A phone number "0183485886" points to a certain phone. An IP address 123.23.45.67 points to a certain Internet protocol interface assigned to a certain device. The phone number is only valid inside the ITU E.164 telephony system. And the IP-address is only valid in (public) internet name space.
If an object A has a phone number as an identifier and an object B an IP-Address it needs a mapping mechanism (service) to map both addresses in order to enable communication between A and B.
The mapping service could be private and specific a certain use-cases or it could be a general and public one, like the DNS.
TBD…
Governance of object data
Objects in the "Internet of Things" produce data. These data might lead to personally identifiable information (PII). A car for example is able to track GPS positions and to provide a complete movement profile of a certain person.
Transparency
Although these data are mainly used for maintenance or additional services in automotive user information and consent should be mandatory.
Data minimization / data collection (in advance
Complex machines e.g. combine harvesters have hundreds of sensors that are able to produce tons of data. Data should not be collected if they are not used for a specific use-case.
TBD….
Issues

  1. Data Ownership/Control
    1. Who owns/controls data
      1. In a combine harvester or vehicle (truck, automobile, motorcycle), is the data owned by
        1. the manufacturer
        2. dealer
        3. service provider (e.g., maintenance/repair shop)
        4. harvester/vehicle owner
        5. each harvester/vehicle user
          1. employees
          2. clients
          3. prospective buyers
          4. family members
          5. friends
        6. other passengers (e.g., others whose GPS locations also become known)
          1. what happens when you pick up a stranger (hitch-hiker) or give a ride to the airport to an unknown colleague met at a conference
        7. a third-party who provides the sensor to support a service, such as
          1. disseminating aggregated data as a subscription service
          2. collecting driver behavioral data to determine insurance rates?
      2. from a data transaction that requires the interaction of multiple devices owned/controlled by multiple parties?
      3. when a device is sold?
  2. Consent
    1. Whose consent will be required for interactions that involve numerous sensors, controllers, and reporting devices
      1. For example,
        1. If an auto manufacturer owns data collected by a vehicle, will it require consent from the vehicle owner and service provider?
        2. Will each user be required to provide consent for data generated while they are driving?
      2. the same concerns apply to determining
  3. Data Ownership/Control/Consent Contracts
    1. NOTE: While the above issues can be managed by contract law, should there be an default data ownership/control model ?
      1. The rationale for such a model is that current contracts (e.g., privacy policies, web site terms of use) are one-sided that the negotiation asymmetry may be considered unfair.
  4. Identity discovery
    1. What attributes would an identity registry need to maintain to be of use to people or devices seeking sensor or controller devices to integrate into a solution
      1. For example,
        1. weather sensors
        2. traffic sensors
        3. location tracking sensors
        4. security sensors
        5. weather alerts
        6. traffic alerts
        7. location tracking alerts
        8. security alerts
    2. Will owners/users have the ability to prevent their devices from being discovered?
      1. Will they have some selectivity about who can discover their devices?
      2. Will they have some control over who can interrogate their devices?
  5. Identity impersonation
    1. How will devices preclude impersonation of the other devices with which they exchange data?
    2. Will each device that might generate, process, or report on private, sensitive, or confidential data be required to provide its own IAM capabilities to prevent fraudulent use?
    3. Will devices be required to develop usernames and passwords to interact with other devices? (How does my calendar system access a GPS system for my child's school bus, to minimize her waiting in the cold on a snowy day when traffic is behind schedule?)
      1. If so, who sets the username/password or other criteria?
      2. How will this information be stored securely?
      3. How will it be modified/updated?
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