I've got accounts everywhere; and I'm tired of it

At every new weblog, every new news site, every new store site, and at almost every new website in general, I have to create a new account. I need a new account to post in the site's forums, or to read a story, to purchase a product, or....

But I am tired of having all these accounts everywhere. All these user names and passwords to keep track of; all my stuff scattered across multiple websites. I want some kind of unity. And I do not think I am alone in this. So what should be done?

The main problems with having accounts everywhere are:

1. I have to keep track of all these user names and passwords;
2. I have stuff -- files, diary entiries, comments to stories, web pages, articles, etc -- scattered across the Web (and the Internet in general) with no easy way for me to see them without having to hunt them all down.

I do not think we can simply do away with user accounts. There is a need to have an identity. For example, simply letting everyone just post to a forum, without having some way of telling the author of one post (in the forum) from another would be incredibly confusing. Sure a person could sign each post at the end -- like a letter -- with something like:

Hello,

Blah, blah, blah. Blah blah!


Truley Yours,
Joe Blow

But this technique of identifying people has problems. For one, what if you forgot to sign it? Also, what if someone else gives something they write your signature (and impresinates you)? So this would seem to not be the answer.

Some groups now have universal account systems that can be used from website to website. That way you only have to remember one user name and one password. [Example of these systems are: Microsoft's Passport, and AOL ScreenNames. If anyone else knows of any more examples, I would like to here about them.] These systems make it so any website can use these account systems as their own; and thus fixing problem (1) [listed at the begining of this artcle]. And this technique seems no less safe or secure (to the user) than each website having their own accounting system; although there are issues with privacy [with these systems].

As an alternate possibility, we could use digital signing techniques to digitally sign everything. [An example of this technique would be the use of public-key/private-key techniques. I not an expert on this topic, so I would be interested in hearing other methods for digitally signing things.] This too solve problem (1) [listed at the begining of this artcle].

But are these the only techniques? You tell me.

Also, problem (2) [listed at the begining of this artcle] has not been solved by any of these. None of these techniques gives me an easy way of seeing all my stuff scattered across the Web.

I think whatever the solution is used [to solve problem (1) and problem (2) listed at the begining of this artcle], we need to give the user as much privacy as possible. The universal account systems [like Microsoft's Passport and AOL ScreenNames] have the problem that one entity will be tracking your activities on the Web. [Something I have a huge problem with.]

Also, if you were thinking that to solve problem (2) [listed at the begining of this artcle], to have a central website, or some other entity, have a records to keep track of all your stuff, then I would say think again. This too does not respect your privacy.

As I see it, the best way to solve problem (1) [listed at the begining of this artcle], is to use digital signing techniques [without a central place that gives out and stores signatures, but where everyone can create and use a signature at their whim]. And, the best way to solve problem (2) [listed at the begining of this artcle], is for each user to have some kind of application [that they are in complete control of] that will keep track of their stuff. [Of course to do this, some kind of infrastucture, on the web, needs to be created. Maybe a system similar to the RSS system -- a custom XML format that is used to generate data, given a user has authenticated themselves, which is all communicated over a secure connection.]

But that's my opinion (given my knowledge of things, right now). So what does everyone else have to say? What does everyone else think?