Towards usable interfaces for proof based access rights on mobile devices

Abstract

Access rights management is in the middle of many collaboration forms such as group formation or sharing of information in different kinds of scenarios. There are some strong mechanisms to achieve this, like anonymous credential systems. However in general their usage is not very intuitive for lay users. In this paper we show the potential of using proof-based credential systems like Idemix to enhance the usability of privacy-respecting social interaction in different collaborative settings. For instance transparently performing authorization without any user intervention at the level of the user interface becomes possible. In order to improve the usability, we complement this by introducing a mental model for intuitive management of digital identities. The approach should also empower users to define their own access restrictions when sharing data, by building custom proof specifications on the fly. We show this exemplary with a developed prototype application for supporting collaborative scenarios on a mobile device. We also present first evaluation results of an early prototype and address current as well as future work. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.