The US Government has unveiled a plan which is expected to improve confidence levels in cyberspace, through the creation of a single, secure online credential.

“By making online transactions more trustworthy and better protecting privacy, we will prevent costly crime, we will give businesses and consumers new confidence, and we will foster growth and untold innovation,” President Barack Obama said in a statement.

The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) proposes the creation of secure and reliable online credentials that would be available to consumers who want to use them. It would be private-sector driven and participation would be voluntary.

The “identity ecosystem” would involve the use of a single credential — unique software on a smart phone, a smart card or a token that generates a one-time digital password. “The consumer can use their single credential to log into any website, with more security than passwords alone provide,” the White House said.