The Ann Arbor based non-profit Internet2 was awarded a $1.84 million grant Thursday by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to further research personal privacy on the Internet.
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CEO Dave Lambert said Internet2 intends to build key elements of a robust privacy infrastructure.
Photo courtesy Internet2
“Internet2 deserves this grant, and Internet users across the country will benefit from it,” Representative John Dingell, D-Dearborn, said in a statement commending the award.
“The work Internet2 will do with this money will improve people’s ability to guard their privacy online. With cybercrime and online fraud on the rise, being able to protect your identity online is more important than ever these days.”
Internet2 said in a statement that the privacy infrastructure planned will include anonymous credentials and the use of multi-factor authentication technologies.
“This builds on our 10-year history of Internet2’s leadership providing federated identity services for universities,” Internet2 CEO and president Dave Lambert said in an email.
“Privacy is a critical attribute of identity and a far-reaching concept, arising in many very different situations as users want to manage their privacy across several contexts - on campus and in business, as a citizen or consumer.”
Internet privacy and user authentication is a problem that has received a lot of attention in Ann Arbor, with companies like Duo Security developing multi-factor authentication technology and other companies looking at various aspects of the cyber-security issue.
“[This grant] is more proof that Michigan has the technical know-how and training to be a leader in cyber-issues moving forward,” Dingell said in his statement.
This project will unfold over the next two years as academics from various institutions work together to try to combat fraud and identity theft.
Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2
