The Domains of Identity

Sixteen categories of transactions that store personally identifiable information in databases

“The Domains of Identity” defines sixteen coherent yet comprehensive categories of interactions which cause personally identifiable information to be stored in databases. Discussions of identity management are often confusing; enumerating these domains and describing their characteristics clarifies which problems arise and how they can be solved within each domain.

“The Domains of Identity” defines sixteen simple and comprehensive categories of interactions which cause personally identifiable information to be stored in databases. This research, which builds on the synthesis of over 900 academic articles, addresses the challenges of identity management that involve interactions of almost all people in almost all institutional/organizational contexts. Enumerating the sixteen domains and describing the characteristics of each domain clarifies which problems can arise and how they can be solved within each domain.

Discussions of identity management are often confusing because they mix issues from multiple domains, or because they try unsuccessfully to apply solutions from one domain to problems in another. This book is an attempt to eliminate the confusion and enable clearer conversations about identity management problems and solutions.