Microsoft s latest service could finally give you back control of your personal data TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. Microsoft s latest service could finally give you back control of your personal data By Sead Fadilpašić published 9 August 2022 Entra Verified ID looks to help users keep their data safe (Image credit: Pixabay) Audio player loading… Microsoft has unveiled a new identity theft protection tool aimed at helping keep Azure user data safe and secure online. Entra Verified ID helps Azure AD customers confirm people's personal and professional claims, allowing users to issue, request, and verify credentials that represent proof of employment, education, or similar. In a blog post (opens in new tab) announcing the launch, Microsoft's Growth for Identity Security Lead, Ankur Patel noted how free and paid Azure AD customers users can design and issue verifiable credentials, and also choose when, and with whom, to share. Control over access Each credential is signed with cryptographic keys that only the user owns and controls. These credentials will remain valid even if the issuing institution no longer exists, Patel states. Furthermore, these credentials are standards-based, making it easy for developers to integrate them in their products. Apps can request and verify the credentials through APIs, which are part of the service. To manage and present these credentials, customers can use Microsoft Authenticator, Patel further said. That gives them control over who can access the credentials, even in scenarios when they're issued by an organization. "We will be adding capabilities like selective disclosure, derived claims (e.g. proof of age instead of birth date) and measures preventing correlation," he said. They are also interoperable, meaning anyone can build compatible digital wallets. This functionality was developed jointly by Microsoft, and its partners IBM, Workday, Ping, and Mattr. "This interop profile gives application developers a consistent way to manage credentials as part of the digital wallets they build and switch across wallets," Patel concluded. In case of lost, or stolen (opens in new tab) credentials, they can be recovered using a mnemonic-based scheme.Read more> Microsoft unveils its vision for the future of digital identity (opens in new tab) > Five essential tools and services to protect your identity (opens in new tab) > What happens when someone steals your identity? (opens in new tab) Microsoft Entra, an umbrella identity management (opens in new tab) platform, was first announced in early June this year. The aim of the project is to radically simplify digital identity management and verification, unlocking benefits for enterprise customers and consumers alike. "Our interconnected world requires a flexible and agile model where people, organizations, apps, and even smart devices could confidently make real-time access decisions," the company explained at the time. "We need to build upon and expand our capabilities to support all the scenarios that our customers are facing."These are the best security keys (opens in new tab) right now Sead Fadilpašić Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he's written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He's also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications. See more Computing news Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to theTechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1PC gamers are shunning high-end GPUs – spelling trouble for the Nvidia RTX 40902It looks like Fallout's spiritual successor is getting a PS5 remaster3Samsung's smaller micro-LED 4K TV might finally be on the way to battle OLED4A whole new breed of SSDs is about to break through5Nothing announces official launch date for new Ear (stick) AirPods alternatives 1PC gamers are shunning high-end GPUs – spelling trouble for the Nvidia RTX 40902IT pros suffer from serious misconceptions about Microsoft 365 security3Canon's next mirrorless camera could be too cheap for its own good4Con le RTX 4000 ho capito che Nvidia ha perso la testa5A whole new breed of SSDs is about to break through Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab) Other versions of this page are available with specific content for the following regions:Sverige