User Agent

Full Title or Meme

An Entity that is operating at the consent and authority of the user.

Context

When discussing the use of the internet by a user, what is really meant is the presence of the user's agent on an internet connection.

Problems

Nearly any application running on a user's device is allowed to access the internet and claim that it represents the user. There is no build-in mechanism to test this assertion by an internet connected service.

Solutions

Any Web Site that wishes to create a Persistent Identifier for a User will need to take responsibility for any necessary Assurance that the program running on the user's device really does reflect the will of the user.