Chapter 14. Windows Server 2003 Passports

In This Chapter

• The Benefits of Using .NET Passports

• Installing and Configuring .NET Passports

• Working with .NET Passport Accounts

• Using Passports with Web-Based Applications

• Using .NET Passports and Mobile Devices

• Additional Layers of Security

• .NET Passport Policies

• Other Passport Services

• Passport Licensing

Just visiting some Web sites, you will find it hard not to notice the option to use .NET Passports. .NET Passports allow organizations to service individuals, groups, and even entire companies online to provide event-driven information or store other personalized information. After a user creates a .NET Passport account, she needs to remember only her .NET Passport name (for example, her email address) and password to access multiple Web sites including commerce sites that use .NET Passport services. This feature provides single sign-in (SSI) functionality for users to access multiple Web sites, but it can also be extended to an organization's intranet, Web-based mail system, and more.

.NET Passports are protected by encryption and strict privacy policies. A user can permit some or all of this information he provides to be sent to a particular Web site. For instance, a user signs onto a Web site using his .NET Passport. The user can then opt to provide additional information because this particular Web site is an e-commerce site that he trusts.

The .NET Passport SSI option enables organizations to provide consumers with an easy and secure way to sign in and make transactions on a Web site. Microsoft also has developed .NET Passport for Kids, which helps a Web site comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) standards. COPPA requires that operators of online services or Web sites obtain parental consent prior to the collection, use, disclosure, or display of children's personal information.