ICF hopes to introduce a tripartite system which allows users to synchronise via encrypted connection with an ID provider (a bank or credit card issuer), and also with a reliant party (a university network, a financial website, an e-commerce website). The ID card model proposed by the ICF requires that all three players (user, provider, trusted third party) be synchronised before the transaction could proceed. ICF believes the addition of a trusted third party should improve security in the new system.

The ICF platform calls on computer users to move away from passwords to smart cards. The basic proposed concept is an electronic wallet with various information cards which will enable customers to bypass typing in user names and passwords.  Various vendors have introduced similar services before. Microsoft recently unveiled the CardSpace concept with the Windows Vista operating systems. CardSpace is an application that is meant to represent an individual’s wallet with different cards to use for identification in online transactions. A similar e-identity service dubbed Identify Lifecyle Manager 2007, designed for businesses, was released in May.

ICF intends to bring together as many players in the identification card space as possible. 50 companies participated in discussions at the RSA 2008 security conference in San Francisco, in February 2008. The foundation’s website will be launched next week.