MySpace about to integrate OpenID – but with some restrictions

Just found on BBC News: “MySpace members will soon be able to use their login details to get access to some other websites.” Regrettably, they draw a distinction between “providers” and “relying parties” – a “provider” is a website who, like MySpace, will allow users to user their login details on other sites as well:

However, MySpace is not letting its members use their login profiles and details on any site. It has set restrictions on where the login details can be used based on whether those sites create or accept OpenID profiles.

It will only allow MySpace details to be used to get access to what are known as “relying parties” – organisations that accept rather than create the portable identities. Sites such as Plaxo are relying parties.

Initially, OpenID profiles created from a MySpace account will be blocked from being used on sites regarded as “providers”. In the OpenID scheme sites that let create OpenID profiles for use elsewhere are “providers”.

Similarly, MySpace will not allow people who get an OpenID from a provider, such as Yahoo, to use that to login to the social network site.

It said in the future its policy would change to let members get the most out of OpenID.

Why this restricted use policy? It seems as if, like before when MySpace signed up to data availability, they are first and foremost interested in “trying to become a large centralized profile repository on the internet” (David Recordon).