Not only is the hoodie finished, it is now feline approved and covered in cat spit.

I spent some time with the Web Payments discussions at W3C TPAC, and wow—there’s a lot shifting between payments and digital identity. Here’s my take on what stood out based on a review of the meeting minutes. #DCAPI #WebPayments #DigitalCredentials

If you’re wondering what the Internet has become, Cloudflare Radar offers a good overview. In the top 10, there’s nothing outside the large conglomerates. I hope we can change this trend over the next 10 years. #internet #openinternet #diversity #opensource […] [Original post on paperbay.org]

How “smart” and “dumb pipe” identity APIs are reshaping the browser’s role in digital identity. What happens when FedCM and the DC API sit this close together? #FedCM #DigitalIdentity #DCAPI #WebStandards #IdentityStandards

Work in progress, with feline supervision. (Tracy hoodie, patten by Cocoknits)

The Identiverse Call for Proposals is open, which means it’s officially “that time” again. You know the time: when the hallway rants, hard lessons, and half-formed ideas either stay memes… or become talks. If you’ve got a topic you keep wishing someone would cover—this is your sign. 📝

Four speaking engagements are now official in Q1 2026: TIIME, The Identity Salon, BSides Seattle, RSAC (this last one confirmed today). Whew.

New post is live! While I’m moderating a panel at Gartner IAM, I’m sharing my own answers to “What I Wish I Knew When I Started in Identity.” Reflections, early lessons, and a few surprises. #DigitalIdentity #IAM #IdentityProfessionals

The paw crossing as she “helps” me pack is killing me.

I mean, srsly, I don’t know how people *live* that don’t get into their jammies and into bed with a lovely heating pad and warm blankies at 6pm every night. Also, get off my lawn.

Look, we also voted for Brexit, and Boaty McBoatface, but my faith in the wisdom of the British people has been given a lift: www.theguardian.com/film/2025/de...

I work with Andi Hindle and Ian Glazer on something called The Identity Salon — a small, invitation-only space where senior identity folks talk about the stuff you can’t really talk about on conference stages.

I gotta say this for this heavily commercialized time of year: it makes it a lot easier to see what mailing lists I'm on and unsubscribe from all the marketing things.

Robots, Humans, and the Edges of the Open Web This episode explores what the “open web” truly means amid shifting standards, AI automation, and evolving economic pressures. Drawing on discussions from IETF 124 and W3C TPAC, it highlights how browser architects, policy experts, and researchers are…

Now that I've spent the last six hours on blog posts, I have reached the point where I need to step into the kitchen and decide: After I make chocolate chip cookies, what wine will go best with them? Decisions must be made.

📻 The 4th Episode of @whatthespec.bsky.social is up on your favourite podcast platform! @sphcow.bsky.social joins me to talk about digital identity on the web, verifiable credentials and Verifiable Credentials Transcript & show notes: lolaslab.co/what-the-spe... Listen and share 😆

Digital identity wallets rely on a stack of standards and platform layers that often get mixed up. The DC API is in draft, the OS layer is proprietary, and regulators are pushing for outcomes that cross all of it. This post unpacks what’s really happening behind the scenes. #standards #wallets

Grocery shopping ftw! I decided to go to the store today to buy All The Usual Things so I wouldn't get caught up with all the people who will be shopping this weekend for All The US Turkey Day Things. Yay for planning and avoiding humanity!

In the early 2000s, the Enron scandal reshaped how we think about accountability. Today, those same regulatory instincts define our critical infrastructure. What happens when the systems we depend on move faster than the rules meant to protect them? #Internet #Compliance #Regulation

Every outage sparks the same question: who’s responsible for keeping digital life online? In my new post, The Paradox of Protection, I look at how “critical infrastructure” keeps expanding—and why that might be making us less safe. When everything is critical, nothing truly is. #internet

APIs and cloud platforms have become the new utilities of modern life. But labeling them “critical infrastructure” may not make us safer. Maybe the goal isn’t regulation—it’s resilience. #criticalinfrastructure #techindustry #Internet

Some social media algorithms (looking at you, LI) are such a PITA. A blog post published this morning has been shown to all of 60 people over the course of eight hours. Probably because it has a link that takes people off the site. Boooo.

The Internet isn’t universal anymore. Trade wars, tariffs, and sovereignty rules are raising costs. This post looks at how standards must adapt—shifting from universality to layered models that balance incentives with new barriers. #Standards #Internet #FutureTech

Overall, a great read on photo surveillance. “One of the biggest dangers of facial recognition is not a corporation running an advanced camera with fancy sensors, it’s an angry Taylor Swift fan who doxes you using a regular picture of your face.” from @404media.co www.404media.co/zennis-anti-...

Demographics ultimately decides who builds tomorrow’s systems. Aging powers shrink, youthful regions rise, but they’re not yet in the standards room. My latest post explores why people are a big part of how the Internet is fragmenting.

Interesting experiment in making apple butter this month. The first batch, I carefully cored all the apples (including the little cider apples), which was a royal PITA. The resulting apple butter, though, was tasty and had the consistency of thick apple sauce.

The Declaration of Independence specifies 27 grievances with King George III and Britain. Donald Trump and his regime have committed at least 20 of those same offenses highlighted in yellow. #NoKings

Original post: mastodon.social/@arstechnica...

Why Tech Supply Chains, Not Protocols, Set the Limits on AI and the Internet I had one of those chance airplane conversations recently—the kind that sticks in your mind longer than the flight itself. My seatmate was reading a book about artificial intelligence, and at one point they described the…

I'm very excited to announce that @sphcow.bsky.social is joining us as a speaker at SW2con.com! Heather joins Adrian Cockcroft, Adam Seligman, Paul Kedrosky....oh, and @mikemaney.bsky.social....join us!

We've launched registration for sw2con.com! Our early confirmed speakers include: Adrian Cockcroft, Adam Seligman, Paul Kedrosky....and, @mikemaney.bsky.social. Join us!

The technical consensus is clear: you can't create a backdoor that only lets the "good guys" in. However they're dressed up, these proposals create cybersecurity loopholes that hackers & hostile nations are eager to exploit. 6/

One hour left before the next attempted flight to Authenticate. To drink, or not to drink. THAT is the question.

Flight was canceled and I’m having SO MUCH FUN at the bar!

Wait, it’s a travel day you say? Well then obviously I must be at Floret @ SEA!

Another day, another trip! This time to the Authenticate conference in Carlsbad, California. After this, only 4 more trips this year. Yay!

I wish I could take a picture that captures Friday evening at a local wine cafe on the island where I live. A bunch of people, all who know each other enough to giggle and chat and join in other people’s conversations and be welcome to do so. I swear,

We are in an AI bubble. @patrickkulp.bsky.social spoke with a few historians to better understand what is happening, and what might come next. www.techbrew.com/stories/2025...

Health Experts Recommend Standing Up At Desk, Leaving Office, Never Coming Back https://theonion.com/health-experts-recommend-standing-up-at-desk-leaving-o-1819577456/

So far today: advising on an identity-related not-for-profit's website (SIROS Foundation for the curious), discussing passkeys and the difference between device-bound and synced, talking about today's blog post (I'm really excited about this series), and finishing a batch of chicken stock.

This week’s post is a long one—there’s a lot to unpack. Internet fragmentation isn’t just about risks; it also opens unexpected opportunities. I look at how trade, trust, and innovation may shift as the dream of one global Internet gives way to a patchwork future. #Internet #Economics #Standards

I’m speaking at #Authenticate2025 on Tue 14 Oct, 10:30am: “Beyond Shared Secrets: How Passkey Primitives Could Transform Machine Authentication” This all started with a random hallway chat: could passkeys actually work for non-human identity? Spoiler: only if you squint in just the right way.

Yay! I finally made it to the optometrist to get my prescription checked. Pretty sure it hasn't changed, but the last pair of glasses had the pupil distance wrong, and I never found time to get back and change it.

Delegation and consent were designed to protect trust. But when incentives reward broad permissions and dark-pattern “consent,” who really benefits? In my latest post, I dig into scope creep, admin approvals, and why users are left holding the bill. #consent #delegation #OAuth #digitalidentity

A lot of work went into the paper on death and the digital estate. I hope you take a look and let us know what worked, what didn’t, or what’s missing.

What do pirates and librarians have in common? More than you think—and it matters for digital identity standards. Fear sinks ships (and drafts); collaboration and the occasional stern eyebrow keep everything afloat. Time for a bit of humor in the blog! #standards #technology #pirates

All you people who have been coaching my cat on how to hide in my suitcase so he comes with me on trips, you can stop now.

I am so grateful for cake and dessert wine for dinner this week, I can’t begin to tell you. This month has been kinda shit.

The best of science!!!