A Single Sign-On For Mobile Apps Coming Via US Wireless Carriers

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon have joined forces to create a new service that could eliminate the need for a login and password for all the apps on your phone.

According to a report in Engadget citing the companies, the initiative is being called Project Verify, with the U.S. carriers creating a single sign-on service that would serve as the login credentials for all the apps on a mobile device. The technology can authenticate logins by using two-factor authentication to confirm a user’s identity. Those could include a customer’s phone number, SIM card information, phone account type, IP address or the length you have been on the phone plan, noted the report. Once it is in service, Project Verify can be used to automatically sign into apps and prevent access for those that you don’t use, reported Engadget. Some of the apps may require more login data, noted the report.

On the Project Verify website the companies point out that despite the rise in online fraud and data breaches, both consumers and businesses are still reliant on passwords and log-ons that are easily forgotten and/or are easy to crack. “The Project Verify solution will change identity management and security, replacing passwords with more secure, device-based, multi-factor authentication. Consumers will be in the driver’s seat, choosing what information they share. They simply log in with their mobile device,” the companies say on the website. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon said they will also work with other business that require high levels of user authentication and verification, to develop the technology and its applications. “Mobile carriers have invested billions of R&D dollars in the networks that people rely on every day. These networks already provide second-factor authentication via SMS messaging. With access to more network authentication tools, the Mobile Authentication Taskforce can enable even greater security,” the carriers said.