Tech Buzz 1/03

The Liberty Alliance is fighting for truth, justice and one password for all. Spear-headed by Sun Microsystems, the project is working toward releasing an online password and authentication system that will allow users to have one password for all their Web sites and e-commerce transactions. That concept is similar to Microsoft Passport, but the Liberty Alliance wants to leverage its non-Microsoft status and open-source stance to win over surfers, Web sites and businesses. You can expect interoperability between the two systems.

Big guns like MasterCard and Sony are listed as founders, while others like Earthlink and Visa have also signed on. Interested entrepreneurs can join as associates for a yearly fee of $1,000. With that, you can comment on the project's activities and get information before it's released to the public. If the Liberty Alliance catches on, growing businesses will want to enable their Web sites as a convenience and draw for their Web patrons. Visit the Liberty Alliance at www.projectliberty.org to catch up on recent news, check into the specifications or join the project.