Yahoo Steps up and Announces its support for the OpenID 2.0 Digital Identity Framework for all of its 248 million active registered users worldwide. The move by Yahoo has placed further value to the evoloving framwork and Identity system of OpenID. With the support of OpenID from Yahoo plans to eliminate the need to create separate ID’s an logins at various websites rather with one ID Yahoo users would be able to access any site with the support of OpenID.

Yahoo!’s OpenID service will be available in public beta on January 30, and will allow users to use there custome OpenID identifier (me.yahoo.com). Yahoo!’s implementation is based on the OpenID 2.0 specification, which Yahoo! worked closely with the OpenID foundation and community to finalize in December 2007, and includes new features that improve security and usability of OpenID, making it the most user-friendly single sign-on and online user-authentication standard. Yahoo! users who log in with their Yahoo! ID on OpenID sites will have the added protection of Yahoo!’s sign-in seal wherever they go on the web. In addition, no email or IM addresses are revealed or disclosed as part of the login process, which further helps protect users from phishing or other attacks.

http://openid.yahoo.com.

What is OpenID?
OpenID eliminates the need for multiple usernames across different websites, simplifying your online experience.

You get to choose the OpenID Provider that best meets your needs and most importantly that you trust. At the same time, your OpenID can stay with you, no matter which Provider you move to. And best of all, the OpenID technology is not proprietary and is completely free.

Where can i get an OpenID for free ?
There are buch of places you can get a free OpenID

• AOL
• LiveDoor
• LiveJournal
• Orange (France Telecom)
• SmugMug
• Technorati
• Vox
• WordPress.com
• ClaimID
• myID.net
• myOpenID
• myVidoop

Which Websites uses OpenID ?

• http://openiddirectory.com/
• https://www.myopenid.com/directory

SOURCE: Yahoo! Inc.