Broadening the Definition of Identity Practitioner

One of the wonderful, yet also daunting, aspects of being in the Identity industry is realizing just how far-reaching and all-encompassing its scope and boundaries are. It’s why we need more than just technologists and standards wonks engaged in driving the future of this industry. I’ve been on stage at Identiverse and other conferences for many years challenging the Identirati to bring in people from other fields like User Experience Research, Law, Privacy, and more.

This is the challenge that the Digital Identity Advancement Foundation has taken on. You can check out how they are doing this on their website, via the Kim Cameron Award and the Vittorio Bertocci Award. Thanks to Arynn Crow, I had the chance to spend some time chatting with the 2024 Kim Cameron award winner, legal scholar Grace Klutke, at Authenticate 2024. We talked (in my usual rambling sort of way) about ethics in Identity, and the broader impact on human rights, inclusion, and access (in the human and not the technical Authorization sense). You can read her reflection on her experience at the conference here.

Oh, and support DIAF if you can. They’re doing good, and necessary, work! If DIAF continues to bring smart, talented, and motivated individuals like her from other fields into our industry, then we’ll be doing it right.