Credentica Acquisition Adds Privacy Technology

The Mar. 2008 acquisition of Credentica’s U-Prove privacy technology, together with all of the underlying patents, enhances Microsoft’s online identity and privacy solutions, such as CardSpace, and gives developers tools to make online applications more secure and private. Microsoft has announced plans to include Credentica’s U-Prove technology in future versions of Windows Communications Foundation, one of the major application programming interfaces of the .NET Framework, and Windows CardSpace, Microsoft’s client software for storing and managing users’ digital identities. All three members of Credentica have joined the Microsoft Identity and Access Management group.

Credentica Brings Patented Privacy Technology

Credentica, founded in 2004, is a Montreal-based company that provides security and privacy solutions for applications such as enterprise identity and access management, digital rights management, electronic health record systems, electronic voting systems, and electronic commerce. The company’s U-Prove technology underlies these solutions and allows users to provide digital credentials that make assertions about identity, status, or rights of their owner without revealing that identity. U-Prove is based on several key cryptography patents, which were also acquired by Microsoft.