Digital Identity

What Does Digital Identity Mean?

A digital identity is an online or networked identity adopted or claimed in cyberspace by an individual, organization or electronic device. These users may also project more than one digital identity through multiple communities. In terms of digital identity management, key areas of concern are security and privacy.

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Techopedia Explains Digital Identity

Like its human counterpart, a digital identity is comprised of characteristics, or data attributes, such as the following:

  • Username and password
  • Online search activities, like electronic transactions
  • Date of birth
  • Social security number
  • Medical history
  • Purchasing history or behavior

A digital identity is linked to one or more digital identifiers, like an email address, URL or domain name. Because identity theft is rampant on the Web, digital identity authentication and validation measures are critical to ensuring Web and network infrastructure security in the public and private sectors.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…