Google today announced the availability of Account Authentication Proxy for web applications. This is an authentication and authorization service for Google services. It allows third party applications to use Google services on behalf of a Google customer. Google by allowing 3rd parties to create businesses that use their services as a composite part, this only make their company more valuable. Creating opportunity for third parties to add value and profit is similar to the way Amazon has benefited from 3rd party retailers using Amazon services to sell products.

It appears to me Google is going to build a ecosystem around its services and customer data. This announcement just strengthens my belief that Google understands the coming cognitive economy and its requirements for ubiquitous identity and reputation.

Garett Rogers referred to Google’s Account Authentication Proxy as being similar to Passport from Microsoft. I can’t say that I have seen a feature by feature comparison, but I think the way Google has released the service is by far more insightful and politically astute. Google has just added another tool to the innovators tool box, without appearing coercive like Microsoft did when Passport first launched.

Most importantly with this announcment, we as Google customers need to encourage Google to explicitly recognize the right of the customer to own, control, transport and manage their cognitive data (including attention, perception, action, problem solving and memory).

I would be interested to hear what Dick Hardt has to say about google’s new service.

Links:

Google’s Account Authentication Proxy for web applications

Garett Rogers RSS Feed
Google releases answer to Passport