AMDG Notes from attribute break-out session

Who is interested in attributes? - Notes from the ISOC Identity Ecosystem Working Group

Open Groups defining standards / schemas / frameworks

• OIX Attribute Exchange: only having its first meeting this week .
• IETF: ABFAB.
• MACE-DIR / eduperson / SHAC.

More closed defining standards / schemas / frameworks

• ITU SG 17 U10: open to liaison with experts on board and open to members.
• ISO.

These are possibly at a higher level than attribute schema.

Discussion / implementation groups:

• Kantara Attribute Discussion Group.
• REFEDS Attribute Release.
• Other.
• SCIM.
• eID initiatives.

Problem areas

• Sharing across the groups
  • it is difficult to share across where information is closed off by non-release before final / copyright / behind closed doors. The earlier in the process you share work, the easier interoperability is later. Where is convergence?
  • How are we ensuring that the correct feedback is being created when outputs / schemas / proposals are coming out of these groups? Is Kantara the feature for this?

Solutions:

• making John Bradley be the lynch-pin.
• use existing discussion groups – Kantara is the obvious place.
• Go out to all the places having discussions – unscaleable.

What is the “internet of things” attribute schema?

• MIBS (++).
• Attributes of things as well as attributes of people.
• Devices – as identity consumers as well as having identities themselves. Is device identity more a projection of personal identity?
• Too much, too many, too patchy.
• Collision-resistant namespaces - the OpenID Connect approach.

Solutions:

• A simple way to design attribute schema.
• Attribute registry?
• Things that don’t assume that there will be one of every type.
• Agreement around extensibility.
• IANA?
• Context provider – in what context can I use this context?

Where does the conversation about this happen? Who operates an attribute registry? We need real participants who will benefit from this.

• Fostering Implementation
• Developing the business case, putting time and effort in to adoption of what we have now.
• Discussions to be had around what is the right scope to put around the structure of attributes – filtering, flexibility, assertion.

Solutions:

• ????

Unclear spaces

• Language code – still not a coherent way to express preferred language.

Solutions:

• write up an RFC on problematic points?

OVERALL ACTION: Give these notes to OIX and Kantara