KEET MALIN SUGATHADASA

In the digital era that we live in, online privacy and security has become the biggest threat to sustainable digital growth. Authentication has become a very tricky process, since many authentication mechanisms are said to be risky and threatening to the service provider as well as the user. Today, the mobile device is the device that has connected most number of users, from rural areas to great metropolis around the world. Mobile Connect is a mobile operator facilitated authentication solution that provides simple, secure, and convenient access to online services. Instead of having to enter the username and password for each of the services, mobile connect lets your mobile device act as a global secure digital identity. This is a concept introduced by the GSMA (GSM Association) which creates a global platform for secure authentication with the help of many mobile network operators around the world.

Mobile Connect is an authentication and authorization protocol, built by extending OpenID Connect (OIDC). OIDC is a simple authentication protocol built on top of OAuth 2.0, as a separate identity layer. OIDC allows applications to authenticate end users and verify them based on authorization protocols. Facebook Connect and Twitter Connect currently utilize the open standard identity protocols in authentication and authorization services, simply by using OAuth 2.0 and OIDC. With Mobile Connect, the key to secure and convenient digital identity, is at your fingertips.

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In this meetup, we shall discuss what mobile connect is and how GSMA facilitates this with the help of mobile network operators. This will be followed by practical applications of mobile connect, similar identity protocols with their limitations, and a demonstration of Mobile Connect with the WSO2 IAM.

Official link of the meetup is given below.​

https://www.meetup.com/Colombo-Identity-Access-Management-User-Group/events/242758001/