U-Prove is a free and open-source[1] technology and accompanying software development kit[2] for user-centric identity management.
The underlying cryptographic protocols were designed by Dr. Stefan Brands[3] and further developed by Credentica and, subsequently, Microsoft.
[4] The technology was developed to allow internet users to disclose only the minimum amount of personal data when making electronic transactions as a way to reduce the likelihood of privacy violations.
[5] U-Prove enables application developers to reconcile seemingly conflicting security and privacy objectives (including anonymity), and allows for digital identity claims to be efficiently tied to the use of tamper-resistant devices such as smart cards.
[1] As the first step, in March 2010 the company released a cryptographic specification and open-source API implementation code for part of the U-Prove technology as a Community Technology Preview under Microsoft's Open Specification Promise.