Mozilla stops using authentication software Persona
Mozilla has announced that it will discontinue its authentication software Persona. Persona.org and all associated domains will be taken off the air on November 30. Until then, the program will be maintained.
Mozilla’s Persona is an umbrella login system that makes it possible to login to all websites that have implemented the program. It only needs one password and email address for this, instead of one per website. In this it is comparable to other software such as OpenID. Persona has been in existence since July 2011 and will end its services on November 30, 2016. Until that date, Mozilla will continue to provide maintenance support.
Mozilla indicates to websites that use Persona as a login method that they should look for alternatives for their users. According to Mozilla, this process is made easier because Persona uses verified email addresses, which can be carried over to a new system.
After November 30, Mozilla will close the persona.org domain and all associated services. The company will keep the domains itself and not pass it on to other parties. Also, the data that Persona has stored is not sold on. According to Mozilla, all user information will be destroyed.
In 2014, Mozilla handed over the development of Persona to the community. At that point, the real development of the program already stopped. After continuing on this basis for another two years, Mozilla has indicated that there is simply not enough enthusiasm for Persona. The developers behind the software are moving on to other projects.