Nextgov

Fifteen years ago, cartoonist Peter Steiner drew two dogs sitting in front of a computer, one saying to the other, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." This iconic adage, cute in its day, is now a warning.

Criminal, terrorist and nation-state cyberattacks against banks, technology companies, online merchants, individuals and government agencies cost the U.S. economy $400 billion annually, focused most often on stealing business and military secrets, and personal data.

In cyberspace, not knowing for sure what person or device is on the other end of the line has serious downsides. It erodes overall trust, limits users' ability to secure their own systems, hinders effective governmental response, and causes organizations to collect more personal data than they really need.