![](\"/ad398328e6f05daa397b204ed6ac0089/VWS-V01.03_LinkedIn-1-1200x627-1-1024x536.webp\")
Last week, we had a great time participating in Vancouver Startup Week's Community Crawl.
\n
The Community Crawl is like a pub crawl except you hop from startup offices to startup offices. It’s an engaging open house event where guests can check out different startups. Over a dozen startups opened their doors, so thanks to everyone who took the time to check us out!
\nThose who attended immediately noticed our new spacious office space, complete with a custom-made tiki bar! Because, why not, right?
\nTo celebrate our move and christen our new space and tiki bar, we hosted a tiki party, replete with festive Hawaiian leis and shirts.
\n![](\"/38bd962387da7229ac069b2077ca84ca/IMG_1257a-1-1024x658.webp\")
LoginRadius founder & CEO, Rakesh Soni, enjoying our new custom-made tiki bar.
\nOur “Tiki Tech” party was a great way to bring our team together and mingle with the Vancouver Startup community. Want to know how to throw a tiki party? Here’s an easy guide…
\nWhat’s a tiki-tastic atmosphere? You’ll know it when it feels like summer at your office despite the Raincouver weather. Here are some fun motifs you can buy for cheap!
\nBeing a startup with a modest budget, we had to be creative with the DIY decor.
\nWe painted colourful signs on cardboard and made little pineapple lanterns which we strung across the room. Then, to brighten the room, we added flamingo-pink dangling paper tissue balls from the ceiling. Hanging decorations from the ceiling are better than sticking them on walls. It makes a room look full and festive with very little material.
\n![](\"/4f4588ebb9cdc97bf7255caca3d3bd73/IMG_1132a-1024x658.webp\")
We bought yellow lanterns and turned them into pineapples.
\n![](\"/4026e9c920c4de425dacdc92d630da68/IMG_1215a-1-1024x658.webp\")
We placed hand-painted signs, including our drinks menu, all over the room.
\nAnother easy way to add more tiki into a room is by playing music. We found a pre-made tiki playlist on a streaming app and let it loop throughout the night. There wasn’t any official dancing at our party, but we had lots of people bobbing their heads or tapping their feet to the beat.
\n![](\"/32754e8bb1e5edd4e19beafc3928abd8/IMG_1178a-1024x658.webp\")
Our team members and guests having fun at our tiki tech party.
\nThe tiki bar was made by a local carpenter. He came by our office to look at the space where the tiki bar will be housed, take measurements, and listen to vision for this piece of resistance.
\nWhat he built was better than what we expected! The frame is made of durable wood and lined with the bamboo-like exterior. On the inside, we have a fridge for the keg and another fridge for other drinks. On the surface of the bar is the tap for the beer. The front was lined with LED lights that changed colours. Everything is covered by a thatched roof, completing the tiki look.
\n![](\"/099cbebdd61365685c3b669d948e8d0d/IMG_1238-1a-1024x658.webp\")
To the left is Mark from Torlay, our local carpenter, who designed and built our lovely tiki bar!
\nNo tiki party is complete without tropical cocktails…especially on a Friday afternoon after a long workweek. Luckily for us, we had an impressive tiki bar where we served endless drinks to our team members and guests.
\nSo that you’re prepared for guests, it’s wise to plan a drink menu a few days or weeks ahead of time. This gives you time to get cool ingredients or tiki-themed cups, umbrellas—whatever moves you!
\nTo ensure a fun relaxing night for everyone, we hired a bartender. His lime margaritas were to die for—and the sound of a cocktail in a shaker just adds to the festive vibe.
\nThe tap beer on the tiki bar was also a celebration on its own. Plus, right before the event, one of our team members whipped up some killer tropical sangria.
\n![](\"/f69d2fe7ff4bdb8eaae79ec8707e40ff/IMG_1149a-1024x658.webp\")
Our bartender, Sam, making amazing tropical drinks for us all night long.
\nWhether you do or don’t have a tiki bar, you can create the vibe around your cocktail table. Just use festive decorations or painted signs, plus fun tropical cups. And of course, use some tropical beverage ingredients, if you can! Then lean back and watch your guests get into tiki mood.
\nThe first impression is everything. Each guest who came through our doors received a flower lei over their heads. It’s a great way to create that instant tiki environment. We went a step further and created little tags for each lei with our company logo and a QR code that took them to our Careers page for those who are interested in joining us for more than just a tiki party.
\n![](\"/ddd44bd77ec702aff50b924c5ecab937/IMG_1244a-1024x658.webp\")
Lovely volunteers from Vancouver Startup Week helped us give leis to our guests.
\nOn our TV, we displayed a one-minute online survey that can be taken on mobile phones. Since LoginRadius secures digital identities, we asked our guests to check all the different digital identities they used in the past week. This included emails, online banking, various video games, social media, and more.
\n![](\"/04bf3c2c8728980b314e4d3374017365/IMG_1159a-1024x658.webp\")
Individuals scanned the QR code on our TV to take our one-minute digital identity survey.
\nWe had close to 90 guests and team member join our party. Based on our study, the most popular digital identity was work and personal emails. Nearly 100% of respondents used these two digital identities in the past week!
\nWork and personal emails are closely followed by LinkedIn. Our survey states that 91.3% of respondents used LinkedIn in the past week. This is interesting because according to Hootsuite, Facebook is the most popular social media website. Yet, Facebook/Instagram fell behind LinkedIn at 82.6%. This data may be influenced by Vancouver Startup Week. In preparing for this networking event, individuals might have recently checked and updated their professional profile on LinkedIn.
\nOn average, respondents used about 13 different digital identities that week. This not only raised awareness for our guests as consumers, but it also encouraged us as an identity management platform to continue creating stronger security and easier login authentication methods that organizations can use for their customers.
\nOn a weekend night, what better way to end a party than with an after-party? We had a group of people who were interested in continuing the fun after the predestined party time. This included both the CEO and CTO. Originally, they were going to move locations. However, since our office space was available for further into the night, everyone decided to stay there. Instead, we ordered pizza and took advantage of the overabundant storage of drinks supplied for the original party.
\nPlanning fun parties can be exhausting. Allowing spontaneous after parties can help you feel free and serve as a reminder that an enjoyable event doesn’t always have to be stringently planned.
\n![](\"/cc58dad758e514f55c332675e7308158/IMG_20190913_200408a-1024x659.webp\")
The after-party selfie—no party is complete without it!
\nSharing our tiki bar with the community led to lots of memorable meetings. Thanks to everyone who enjoyed our tropical drinks, embraced our leis, basked in our tiki atmosphere, and participated in our survey. We loved having the Vancouver Startup Community visit our office and we hope to see you at our future tiki events!
\n","frontmatter":{"date":"September 20, 2019","updated_date":null,"description":"Except that you hop from start-up offices to start-up offices, Neighborhood Crawl is like a pub crawl. It's an interesting open house event where tourists can check out various start-ups. More than a dozen startups have opened their doors, so thank you to anyone who has taken the time to check us out!","title":"How To Throw A Tiki Tech Party","tags":null,"pinned":null,"coverImage":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"aspectRatio":1.550387596899225,"src":"/static/d8e58222783279e1030beb7197d352d9/58556/how-to-throw-a-tiki-tech-party.webp","srcSet":"/static/d8e58222783279e1030beb7197d352d9/61e93/how-to-throw-a-tiki-tech-party.webp 200w,\n/static/d8e58222783279e1030beb7197d352d9/1f5c5/how-to-throw-a-tiki-tech-party.webp 400w,\n/static/d8e58222783279e1030beb7197d352d9/58556/how-to-throw-a-tiki-tech-party.webp 800w,\n/static/d8e58222783279e1030beb7197d352d9/99238/how-to-throw-a-tiki-tech-party.webp 1200w,\n/static/d8e58222783279e1030beb7197d352d9/7c22d/how-to-throw-a-tiki-tech-party.webp 1600w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}},"author":{"id":"Karl Wittig","github":null,"avatar":null}}}},{"node":{"excerpt":"In a world where data is the most valuable resource, it’s logical that there will be new regulations to protect consumer data. With media…","fields":{"slug":"/identity/ccpa-vs-gdpr-the-compliance-war/"},"html":"In a world where data is the most valuable resource, it’s logical that there will be new regulations to protect consumer data. With media outlets covering more data scandal stories than ever, consumers are increasingly more aware of data collection and how it affects them. With this in mind, global compliance regulations support consumer rights to data privacy and consent.
\nTwo such regulations are the EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation, in effect May 25, 2018) and the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act, in effect January 1, 2020). These are two of the first regulations that directly impact data collection, use, and storage on a widespread scale.
\nUnderstanding the impact of GDPR and CCPA regulations is crucial for global compliance today—and in the future. In fact, these regulations foreshadow a certain trend toward data collection and management: More governing bodies will implement privacy and consent regulations with heftier repercussions for noncompliance.
\nTo help you understand how these regulations can affect you, here’s an overview of GDPR vs CCPA.
\nHere are the most notable similarities between the CCPA and the GDPR:
\n![](\"/c62fbeba5c65dddf6f32bbac3af59099/WP-The-CCPA-and-Customer-Identity-Reaping-the-Benefits-of-Compliance-1024x310.webp\")
For more info on CCPA compliance, check out our white paper.
\nHere are the most notable differences between CCPA and GDPR compliance:
\nFor more tips on CCPA and GDPR compliance, check out the infographic by LoginRadius.
\n![](\"/6c193eb15bf28fc8f7cc9c78f13beb76/new_CCPA-VS-GDPR-V01.06-PNG-01-1-2.webp\")
Want to get your company compliance-ready and keep it up-to-date, automatically? Contact a LoginRadius expert to learn how.
\n![\"book-free-demo-loginradius\"](\"/8fce571f703a5970dbb1359a2fe0e51a/book-a-demo-loginradius.webp\")
If you have been operating a web application where consumers need to authenticate themselves, the term 'credential stuffing' shouldn't be new to you.
\nIn case you haven’t heard it before, credential stuffing is a cybersecurity threat where hackers use stolen credentials to attack web infrastructures and take over user accounts.
\nSomeone or the other is always out there freely distributing breached databases on hacker forums and torrents to help criminals evolve their velocity of attack.
\nTheir strategy is pretty straightforward.
\nHackers use automated bots to stuff those credentials into the login pages across multiple sites to unlock multiple accounts. Also, since people do not change their passwords often, even older credential lists record relative success.
\nThe threat gets further elevated when hackers use credentials from organizations to login and hijack consumer accounts. Not only the company suffers revenue loss and brand damage, consumers feel the blow too.
\nIn this blog, we will walk you through the credential stuffing attack lifecycle and discuss the best ways to respond to attacks and mitigate damage to your business.
\nAs new vulnerabilities and exploits are discovered every day, various instances demonstrate that each attack is more sophisticated than the last. Let's look at a few recent examples:
\nCredential stuffing is a kind of identity theft where hackers automatically inject breached username and password credentials to access numerous sites.
\nThink of it as a brute force attack that focuses on infiltrating accounts. Once the hacker acquires access into the web application, they crack open a company's database that carries millions of personally identifiable information and exploits them for their own purpose.
\nWant to know the methods behind the screen? In a nutshell, here's the hacker's process:
\nAs you can see, when a business suffers from stolen credentials, it can cost them dearly. In fact, it's been reported that in the USA, 75% of credential stuffing attacks are programmed at financial institutions. So what happens when you aren't prepared for an attack?
\n![](\"/f37806b24f8fcfa2daf90f46af2fb182/icons_security.webp\"){kind=icon}
Hackers send armies of bots to conduct thousands of commands, resulting in millions of stolen data. But it gets worse. In what is called \"the biggest collection of breaches\" to date, billions of stolen records are compiled and shared for free on hacker forums.
\nSo, how can you detect bot attacks? Here are the warning signs.
\nBut beware: These credential stuffing bot detection techniques aren't 100% effective. You'll need extra protection—called bot screening—to stop these bots. It is a sophisticated screening technology for detecting malware on your devices.
\nIt's built to monitor the telltale signs of bot activity such as the number of attempts, the number of failures, access attempts from unusual locations, unusual traffic patterns, and unusual speed.
\nLuckily, you'll find bot detection in robust customer identity and access management solutions. A CIAM platform will also provide device authentication and customer data protection.
\n![](\"/859c9a3643c4a235273a08d466c658a7/How-Credential-Stuffing-Threatens-Your-Company-V01.01-02-1024x576.webp\")
Let's find out how hackers process their share of credential stuffing attacks.
\nA combo list is a combined list of leaked credentials obtained from corporate data breaches conducted in the past. These are often available for free within hacking communities or listed for sale in underground markets (Darkweb).
\nSophisticated hackers develop plugins or tools called account checker tools. These contain custom configurations that can test the lists of username/password pairs (i.e., \"credentials\") against a target website. Hackers can attack sites either one by one or via tools that hit hundreds of sites at once.
\nHackers use account-checking software to log into financial accounts successfully.
\nMatch found. What's next? When a match is found, they can easily view a victim's account balance and gain access to cash, reward points, or virtual currencies.
\nBecause hackers use genuine user credentials, they gain undetected access. What follows is a full-fledged account takeover. Next, the attacker can drain the account in seconds or resell access to other cybercriminals.
\n![](\"/38de8a09999b24b913fbd655be3ff161/How-Credential-Stuffing-Threatens-Your-Company-V01.01-08-1024x577.webp\")
But then, there is good news after all. Preventing these attacks is possible, and you can keep your business and customer safe by following the tips below:
\nOne of the most effective ways to differentiate real users from bots is with captcha. It can provide defense against basic attacks.
\nBut beware: Solving captcha can also be automated. There are businesses out there that pay people to solve captchas by clicking on those traffic light pictures. To counter, there is reCAPTCHA that is available in three versions:
\nSet strict password complexity rules for all your password input fields like length, character, or special character validation. If a customer's password resembles that of a data breach, they should be asked to create new passwords and provide customers with tips on building stronger passwords during their password-creation process.
\nMulti-factor authentication (2FA or MFA) is the new-age method to block hackers using multiple security layers. MFA makes it extremely difficult for hackers to execute credential stuffing attacks. The more obstacles you give a hacker to verify user identities, the safer your site will be.
\nRisk-based authentication (RBA) calculates a risk score based on a predefined set of rules. For instance, it can be anything related to a login device, IP reputation, user identity details, geolocation, geo velocity, personal characteristics, data sensitivity, or preset amount of failed attempts. RBA comes handy in case of high-risk scenarios where you want your customers to use customizable password security.
\nHackers can also deny access to customers' own resources once they break-in. Having passwords as a factor of authentication can leave corporate and business accounts vulnerable to credential stuffing. So, why not remove them altogether? Use passwordless authentication as a safer way to authenticate users for more confined access into their accounts.
\n![\"credential-stuffing\"](\"/0211bcf38d1a0a60f9930324cfba56e0/credential-stuffing.webp\")
LoginRadius advocates a number of alternative authentication methods to mitigate the risk of credential stuffing. The identity and access management solution provider promotes passwordless practices like social login, single sign-on, email-based passwordless login to address the vulnerabilities of businesses.
\nSocial Login: Social login is an authentication method that allows users to log in to a third-party platform using their existing social media login credentials. This eliminates the need to create a new account or enter credentials altogether.
\nSingle Sign-On: Single sign on (SSO) minimizes the number of credential stuffing attacks because users need to login once using just one set of credentials, and subsequently logged into other accounts as well. This provides a more robust protective layer to user accounts.
\nEmail-Based Passwordless Authentication: The user is required to enter the associated email address. Upon which a unique code or magic link is created and sent to the email ID. It is valid for a predefined time frame. As soon as the server verifies the code, the user is let in.
\nMulti-factor Authentication: MFA offers better security by providing additional protection to traditional credentials through multiple layers. They are mostly implemented through security questions, ReCaptcha, and others. Due to extra security checks, LoginRadius assures businesses that customers' data is safe.
\nCredential stuffing is easy to perform, so its popularity with criminals will increase with time. Even if your business isn't affected yet, you must protect your website and watch for all the red flags listed in this blog.
\nIf you're looking for a solution to help prevent credential stuffing, LoginRadius is easy to deploy. It provides robust security with bot detection and multi-factor authentication, among other safeguards.
\n
![](\"/16d08b92f1eb74d4d4d8f5f1bef262dc/454px-MaoriChief1784.webp\")
Sketch of a Māori chief by Sydney Parkinson (1784)
Source - MaoriChief1784
\nIn Part II of the History of Human Identity, we showed examples of identity verification such as names and unique markings. This blog is the final instalment of our 3-part series. In it, we'll focus on cultural identifiers—their use and their abuse.
\nOne of the oldest forms of cultural identifiers is still alive today: physical alterations. In fact, the Maori of New Zealand use tattoos in part as a marker of identity; the earliest recording of this dates back to the 1700s. Maori facial decorations include tattoos with detailed and stylized designs called moko. Moko is used to communicate information about an individual’s heritage and rank in society.
\nIn fact, the Smithsonian.com notes that the Maori use of tattoos “has accurately been described as a form of id card or passport, a kind of aesthetic bar code for the face.”
\nThe earliest documented account of something resembling a passport can be found in the Hebrew Bible, in the book of Nehemiah, which refers to “safe passage” to Judah.
\nIn 1540, the granting of “travelling papers” became the business of Britain’s Privy Council. The actual term passport was also recognized at that point. Some say that the term reflects the act of passing through maritime ports, although that is up for debate.
\nCharles de Saint-Mémin’s United States passport, June 30, 1810
\n![\"human](\"/a35460ca5646f3468ec9d5dcf374f9dd/image-2.webp\")
Charles de Saint-Mémin’s United States passport, June 30, 1810
Source - metmuseum
\nA passport is also a form of personal identification that indicates national identity.
\nAround 100 countries now have compulsory national identity cards. Another 28 countries have optional national identity cards, but their citizens often use other forms of ID such as passports or driving licenses.
\nWest German identity card issued between 1 January 1951 and 31 March 1987
\n![\"human](\"/c797e76a085fb3e7e3420d86a5147b48/image-3.webp\")
West German identity card issued between 1 January 1951 and 31 March 1987
Source - West German Identity Card
\nA Social Security number (SSN) is another unique identifier. The US government assigned this for taxation and benefits. Issued by the US Social Security Administration in November 1935, SSN numbers were part of the New Deal Social Security program. Today, US citizens still use SSNs to access benefits, pay taxes, receive wages, and show one’s identity.
\nA Social Security card issued by the Railroad Retirement Board in 1943 to a now-deceased person.
\n![\"human](\"/68a2496348bc67706bf652806fe5cb4a/image-4.webp\")
A Social Security card issued by the Railroad Retirement Board in 1943 to a now deceased person.
Source - Social Security Card
\nA Social Insurance Number (SIN) is a 9-digit form of identification that every individual residing and/or working in Canada must have in order to access government benefits, file income taxes, and legally receive payment. SIN cards were first issued in 1964 but have not been printed as cards since 2014 due to the risk of theft. Today, Canadian citizens do not carry SIN cards on their person.
\nMany countries have a process for officially changing one’s legal name.
\nIn Western society, some marriage partners decide to change their surnames. However, taking a new surname is not as commonplace as it once was. In fact, sometimes men and women change both of their surnames to a hyphenated or a combined version of the two.
\nA name change can pose issues for your personal identity, including losing your professional identity or brand.
\nAs a rule, US citizens who wish to change their surnames after marriage must endure a lengthy process. Here's what they must do:
\nAs governments began to regulate identity verification, conflicts arose between personal and legal identification. The ways that people identify themselves sometimes clash with the ways that governments want to identify them.
\nFor example, Canada has a controversial history when it comes to identifying Inuit communities. In the 1930s, a personal identification program in the Canadian Arctic required Inuit fingerprints to identify and document Inuit communities. Shortly after, missionaries and federal agents successfully halted the program, due to the association of fingerprinting with criminal activity.
\nIt took roughly 10 years for the Canadian government to approve and implement a substitute identification system for Canada’s Northern Territories. This was known as the personal identification disk system. The government required Inuit people to wear these small, numbered disks at all times. As a result, many complained that these looked and felt like dog tags. Due to public outcry, the government ceased the program in the 1970s (1980s in Quebec). And in its place, they created a new program called Project Surname.
\nPublic domain photo: Inupiat family, 1929
\n![\"human](\"/2a39730a34121f10a8204ce8a2ca6735/image-5.webp\")
Public domain photo: Inupiat family, 1929
Source - Inupiat Family
\nIn the 1940s the Canadian government created Project Surname as a way to identify the Inuit population. Instead of a number, Project Surname assigned Anglicized last names to Inuit peoples in northern Canada.
\nWhile some Inuit and non-Inuit peoples viewed Project Surname as an effective new identification system, others saw it as a demeaning act of paternalism.
\nIn essence, it stripped people of a meaningful and spiritual tradition.
\nBefore the arrival of Europeans, the Inuit used a complex naming tradition that reflected their culture, environment, animals, family, and spirits. Today, Inuit surnames may contain both Euro-Canadian and traditional Inuit names. However, the sting of Project Surname remains, demonstrating what happens when legal identification gets too personal.
\nAs cofounder and CTO of LoginRadius, a customer identity and access management solution, I enjoy researching and writing about cultural identifiers. Likewise, I hope that you enjoyed this History of Human Identity series and will return to read our next series.
\n
In Part I of The History of Identity, we covered how identity began in ancient times. For Part II, we focus on current times, where personal names are now considered fundamental to identity and dignity.
\nThe United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child declares that every child “shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name.” Family names or surnames identify a person’s origins. Family names appear to have developed first in China, originally among the nobility, and then spread to commoners.
\nClan names that seem to indicate matrilineal heritage, called xìng (姓), emerged in China around 4000–3000 BC. Many of these names include the character for woman (女), and the character for xìng reads as “born of a woman.” People with the same xìng were not allowed to marry each other.
\n![\"Human](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lacquer_painting_from_Ch%27u_State.webp\")
Lacquer painting from State of Ch'u (704–223 BC)
\nAnother type of clan name appeared during the Zhou dynasty from 1046–256 BC. As society became more complex and patrilineal, the shì name (氏) allowed people to differentiate themselves from others with the same xìng.
\nA person’s shì name might be derived from their state or fiefdom, their position within their family, or their profession.
\nChinese surnames were standardized in 221 BC under the first emperor of the Qin dynasty. The xìng and shì names, which people had been using interchangeably, were merged into the single concept of a family name.
\n![\"Human](\"/b9a5e9d1e68049de984bd849b828464e/image-2.webp\")
Marble portrait of the co-emperor Lucius Verus (130 - 169 AD). His name at birth was Lucius Ceionius Commodus, changed to Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus when he was adopted.
\nFamily names first evolved in the Western world during the time of the Roman Empire, 750 BC to 500 AD. Romans developed a system of tria nomina (“three names”):
\nThe Roman three-name system started with the aristocracy and spread to the general citizenry as the population grew and people needed more names to distinguish among themselves.
\n![\"Human](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jon_Ogmundsson_Icelandic_bishop.webp\")
Bishop Jón Ögmundsson of Hólar, from the 19th century Icelandic manuscript JS 629 4to, now in the care of the Icelandic National Library
\nSurnames developed in the rest of Europe starting in the 11th century. Norman barons brought them to England after the invasion of 1066. Most of these surnames grew organically from one of the following characteristics.
\nLineage: Patronymic and matronymic surnames originate from a father or mother’s name.
\nIceland developed a system where children receive a new surname based on their father’s name (or occasionally mother’s name). For example, Iceland's current prime minister is Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir. Her father’s name is Sigurður, so her surname becomes Sigurðardóttir, meaning “daughter of Sigurður.”
\n![\"Human](\"/85b92d739394b1f811948efc986a962e/image-4.webp\")
Part of Offa’s Dyke, an 8th-century earthwork boundary in Britain.
\nLocation: Many Anglophone names come from the names of towns or regions (Hamilton, Murray), local topology (Landon means “long hill”), or features (Dyke, Wood, Fields).
\n![\"Human](\"/dd2cb534a0c60e5956d4babb28e75e51/image-5.webp\")
A German tailor pictured in die Nürnberger Hausbücher, 1612.
\nProfession: Occupational names are based on the work performed by that family. The German name Eisenhauer means “iron hewer,” Schneider means “tailor,” and Schmidt refers to a blacksmith. Occupational names were also taken by servants of masters in certain professions. There is speculation, for example, that the English surname Vickers would have been adopted by the servant of a vicar.
\nMiddle names have their origins in social class and religion. As mentioned earlier, more names indicated more respect during Roman times. Men had three names; women had two; their slaves had one.
\nAristocrats considered long names a show of their high place in society. Spanish and Arabic families would give their children paternal or maternal names from previous generations. This practice allowed them to keep track of the child’s family tree.
\n![\"Human](\"/1d753d9933dc937e91f1857dda850c1e/image-6.webp\")
\"Rosette Bearing the Names and Titles of Shah Jahan,\" ca. 1645. The central inscription reads, “His Majesty Shihab al-Din Muhammad Shah Jahan, the king, the vanquisher, may God perpetuate his dominion and sovereignty.”
\nThis tradition of middle names spread across Western cultures in the 1700s. But this time, three names were not exclusive to men. When faced with choosing between a family name and a saint name for their children, Europeans decided to go with both: given name first, baptismal (saint) name second, and surname third. The practice then spread to America through immigration.
\nToday, many cultures use a beloved relative’s name for a child’s middle name. And some families may even have two middle names to reflect both maternal and paternal relatives. Practically speaking, middle names can help differentiate people who share common first and last names. For this reason, middle names may be required on important documents, such as flight tickets.
\nThe placement of surnames, or family names, varies by country.
\nEastern name order is typical in East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of India.
\nThe convention in China is to have the family name appear first, followed by the given name. For example, Gāo Xíngjiàn (高行健), who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2000, has the family name Gāo and the given name Xíngjiàn.
\nWestern name order is common throughout Europe, the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand. The given name comes first, and then the family name, although for alphabetized lists, the names are reversed and separated by a comma.
\nWhen Eastern names are used in the West and vice versa, there can be some confusion about whether they are following their traditional name order or not. The cellist known as Yo-Yo Ma uses the Western ordering, even though his Chinese name is Ma Youyou (马友友).
\nThe need to confirm someone’s identity also goes back to ancient times. As society grew larger and political and financial systems developed, humans created ways to verify that a person’s identity was valid.
\nSome civilizations developed stamps and seals that represented a person’s identity.
\n![\"Human](\"/541e015d2aa0f00219ab27bc579f2746/image-7.webp\")
Modern impression of a Cypriot cylinder seal: female figure, ibex, lion, ca. 14th–13th century B.C.
\nCylinder seals go back to the fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia. These carved cylinders were rolled across wet clay to create an impression that signified ownership or identity. The seals were sometimes crafted from semi-precious stone such as carnelian or lapis lazuli and worn as jewellery. They were used by people from all strata of society to sign business deals, treaties, and marriage contracts.
\nThe earliest seals in China originated during the Shang Dynasty, 1600 to 1046 BC. Chinese seals known as chops were carved from jade, stone, or ivory and dipped in red paste to stamp a unique symbol on documents, letters, and artwork.
\n![\"Human](\"https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestand:Chinese_seal_(Han_Dynasty).webp#/media/Bestand:Chinese_seal_(Han_Dynasty).webp\")
Chinese seal with Han and Manchu characters
\nOther types of signature seals can also be found across East Asia. In Japan, signature ink stamps are called hanko. These are commonly accepted as a signature when validating documents and official forms. Hanko stamps can be made from wood, plastic, and other materials and again, the ink, is generally red.
\nIn the 5th century BC, the Romans started to write sentences and names at the bottom of documents, in addition to creating wax seals with signet rings. The earliest surviving signature from a famous historical figure is that of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, a medieval Spanish nobleman known as El Cid, dated to 1098.
\n![](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Signature_of_El_Cid.webp\")
Autograph signature of Rodrigo Díaz, [also] called El Cid, Archive of the Cathedral of Salamanca. It reads in Latin: ego ruderico, \"I, Rodrigo\".
\nTo see how modern society uses and abuses identity, be sure to read Part III of our History of Human Identity series next week.
\nLearn how to create a unified digital identity for all of your customers. Book a demo today with LoginRadius.
\n
![\"human](\"/499c0cfb01fff9f826629127fc04da46/image-1.webp\")
Portrait of Thakur Utham Ram, ca. 1760
Source - metmuseum
\nThe concept of human identity stretches back thousands of years into unrecorded history.
\nLong before our identities were digitized and stored in databases, we used language, objects, and documents to represent and confirm our individuality.
\nThis pictorial history in 3 parts explores all the creative ways that we’ve developed to identify ourselves and each other over the millennia.
\nIt’s impossible to know when humans first recognized that they had individual identities.
\nWe assume that early hominins knew each other by sight, sound, smell, and touch, as animals do.
\n![\"human](\"/7479ec6c6f774efbcd8508d42ebfe9c9/image-2.webp\")
High school students in Binghamton NY, USA, holding replicas of hominin skulls. Photo by Carolyn WIlczynski
Students explore hominid evolution
\nPresumably they could tell one Neanderthal from another by their faces, the noises they made, and the way they moved.
\nThere is even research showing that human faces evolved in ways that made it easier for humans to recognize each other. The fact that facial recognition was supported by natural selection implies that it’s very important for social interaction and the success of the species.
\n![\"human](\"/038c61e7148e2d901d3706d730a71c3f/image-3.webp\")
Hands, ca. 7300 BC, at the Cuevas de las Manos upon Río Pinturas, Argentina. Photo by Mariano Cecowski
SantaCruz-CuevaManos-P2210651b
\nFor an example of written identity in prehistory, we can look at cave markings showing stencilled handprints. Archeologists disagree on the meaning behind cave handprints—they could be warning messages or part of shamanic practice—but to our modern eyes they look like signatures or graffiti tags, a way of saying, “I was here.”
\n![\"human](\"/d4ab7373de245ee439788583b118900d/image-4.webp\")
Forensic reconstruction of Oase 2 skull dating to 35,000 BC
Homo sapiens sapiens, Oase, Rumänien (Daniela Hitzemann)
\nSpoken language emerged 100,000 years ago. In fact, the structure of the brain and the size of the spinal cord of Cro-Magnon people suggests that they would have been capable of producing the same sounds that we use in speech today.
\nBut since we’ve only been writing for the last 6,000 years, we’ll never know if Cro-Magnons developed names for one another, or if so, how these were chosen.
\nThe earliest known names go back to the dawn of ancient history, around 3000 BC. These were the names of royalty passed down through oral history and written down much later: Alulim, first king of Sumer, and Narmer, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh.
\nThe oldest artifacts with written names have more everyday origins.
\nThere are several candidates for the distinction of first recorded name.
\n![\"human](\"/825deb1a4626c7afea9d1c7841665640/image-5.webp\")
A photo of the Kushim Tablet. © The Schøyen Collection, Oslo and London
Leaving A Mark in History: The Oldest Known Named Person
\nOne is a Mesopotamian clay tablet, ca. 3100 BC, found in Iran that appears to document a business transaction. The receipt for barley delivery to the brewery at Inanna Temple is presumably signed with the name of Kushim, an accountant or record keeper.
\n[caption id=\"attachment_5348\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1684\"]![\"human](\"https://www.loginradius.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/08/pic5.webp\")
Jamdat Nasr administrative tablet, ca. 3100-2900 BC. Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art metmuseum
The second is another Mesopotamian tablet from the same era that bears the name of a slaveholder, Gal-Sal, and two slaves, En-pap X and Sukkalgir.
\n![\"human](\"/eca137243e6c8edab906e998bf53de49/image-6.webp\")
A Machiguenga woman dressed in traditional garb Machiguenga woman
Almost every known society refers to individuals by a fixed personal name, but there are some exceptions. One is the Machiguenga of the Amazon, a small tribe that refers to others by their kin relationship, such as “sister.”
\nAncient cultures generally used single names, what we might now consider a first name or given name. Single names are also called mononyms.
\n![\"human](\"/e04146471a786da84dca8e6f6f68133f/image-7.webp\")
Dead Sea Scroll, part of Isaiah Scroll (Isa 57:17 - 59:9), ca. 100 BC Dead Sea Scroll
Most Biblical names are mononyms, for example. This fragment of the Hebrew Bible contains the name יַעֲקֹב (Jacob).
\nBoth the Hebrew and Christian scriptures give great significance to names within the narrative. The meanings of names are often described in the text: The man called his wife Eve [which probably means “living”] because she would be the mother of all the living.” People sometimes take or receive new names to indicate a change in their identity, such as when God renames Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah as part of a promise to make them a great nation.
\n![\"human](\"/f7dd0c103beb3fc46feb44d0afd569a9/image-8.webp\")
Zeno of Citium. Bust in the Farnese collection, Naples. Photo by Paolo Monti, 1969 Paolo Monti
The ancient Greeks used mononyms as well, although historians added qualifiers called epithets when they needed to distinguish between two people with the same name. Epithets might be descriptive of the person or refer to their home or ancestry, but they are not considered part of their official name. For example, we have Zeno the Stoic (also known as Zeno of Citium) and Zeno of Elea.
\nFor a history of identity in the modern world, read Part II of this series next week.
\n![\"human](\"/097b03db8ae840e524586576d4956c6d/image-9.webp\")
A newborn’s hospital name tag
Learn how to create a unified digital identity for all of your customers. Book a demo today with LoginRadius.
\n
Identity is evolving, and developers are at the forefront of this transformation. Every day brings a new learning—adapting to new standards and refining approaches to building secure, seamless experiences.
\nWe’re here to support developers on that journey. We know how important simplicity, efficiency, and well-structured documentation are when working with identity and access management solutions. That’s why we’ve redesigned the LoginRadius website—to be faster, more intuitive, and developer-first in every way.
\nThe goal? Having them spend less time searching and more time building.
\nLoginRadius’ vision is to give developers a product that simplifies identity management so they can focus on building, deploying, and scaling their applications. To enhance this experience, we’ve spent the last few months redesigning our interface— making navigation more intuitive and reassuring that essential resources are easily accessible.
\nHere’s a closer look at what’s new and why it’s important:
\n![\"This](\"/f46881583c7518a93bb24e94c32320de/a-developer-friendly-dark-theme.webp\")
Developers spend long hours working in dark-themed IDEs and terminals, so we’ve designed the LoginRadius experience to be developer-friendly and align with that preference.
\nThe new dark mode reduces eye strain, enhances readability, and provides a seamless transition between a coding environment and our platform. Our new design features a clean, modern aesthetic with a consistent color scheme and Barlow typography, ensuring better readability. High-quality graphics and icons are thoughtfully placed to enhance the content without adding visual clutter.
\nSo, whether you’re navigating our API docs or configuring authentication into your system, our improved interface will make those extended development hours more comfortable and efficient.
\n![\"This](\"/e5358b82be414940f3fb146013845933/capabilities.webp\")
We’ve restructured our website to provide a straightforward breakdown of our customer identity and access management platform capabilities, helping you quickly find what you need:
\nThis structured layout ensures you can quickly understand each capability and how it integrates into your identity ecosystem.
\n![\"This](\"/a8c155c2b6faf3d5f4b4de4e2b14d763/developers-menu.webp\")
We’ve been analyzing developer workflows to identify how you access key resources. That’s why we redesigned our navigation with one goal in mind: to reduce clicks and make essential resources readily available.
\nThe new LoginRadius structure puts APIs, SDKs, and integration guides right at the menu bar under the Developers dropdown so you can get started faster. Our Products, Solutions, and Customer Services are also clearly categorized, helping development teams quickly find the right tools and make informed decisions.
\n![\"This](\"/b2f9a964a2da0ea83e2f8596b833bba7/we-support-your-tech-stack.webp\")
Developers now have a clear view of the tech stack available with LoginRadius, designed to support diverse business needs.
\nOur platform offers pre-built SDKs for Node.js, Python, Java, and more, making CIAM integration seamless across popular programming languages and frameworks.
\nCheck out our revamped LoginRadius website and see how the improved experience makes it easier to build, scale, and secure your applications.
\nDo not forget to explore the improved navigation and API documentation, and get started with our free trial today. We’re excited to see what you’ll build with LoginRadius!
\n","frontmatter":{"date":"February 21, 2025","updated_date":null,"description":"LoginRadius’ vision is to give developers a product that simplifies identity management so they can focus on building, deploying, and scaling their applications. To enhance this experience, we’ve redesigned our website interface, making navigation more intuitive and reassuring that essential resources are easily accessible.","title":"Revamped & Ready: Introducing the New Developer-First LoginRadius Website","tags":["Developer tools","API","Identity Management","User Authentication"],"pinned":true,"coverImage":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"aspectRatio":1.7857142857142858,"src":"/static/80b4e4fbe176a10a327d273504607f32/58556/hero-section.webp","srcSet":"/static/80b4e4fbe176a10a327d273504607f32/61e93/hero-section.webp 200w,\n/static/80b4e4fbe176a10a327d273504607f32/1f5c5/hero-section.webp 400w,\n/static/80b4e4fbe176a10a327d273504607f32/58556/hero-section.webp 800w,\n/static/80b4e4fbe176a10a327d273504607f32/99238/hero-section.webp 1200w,\n/static/80b4e4fbe176a10a327d273504607f32/7c22d/hero-section.webp 1600w,\n/static/80b4e4fbe176a10a327d273504607f32/1258b/hero-section.webp 2732w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}},"author":{"id":"Rakesh Soni","github":"oyesoni","avatar":"rakesh-soni.webp"}}}},"pageContext":{"limit":6,"skip":840,"currentPage":141,"type":"///","numPages":164,"pinned":"ee8a4479-3471-53b1-bf62-d0d8dc3faaeb"}},"staticQueryHashes":["1171199041","1384082988","2100481360","23180105","528864852"]}![MaoriChief1784](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MaoriChief1784.webp\"){kind=link}
![West German Identity Card](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1979_identity_card_of_West_Germany_original_size.webp\"){kind=link}
![Social Security Card](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PD_social_security_card.webp\"){kind=link}
![Inupiat Family](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inupiat_Family_from_Noatak,_Alaska,_1929,_Edward_S._Curtis_(restored).webp\"){kind=link}
![Students explore hominid evolution](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Students_explore_hominid_evolution.webp\"){kind=link}
![SantaCruz-CuevaManos-P2210651b](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SantaCruz-CuevaManos-P2210651b.webp\"){kind=link}
![Homo sapiens sapiens, Oase, Rumänien (Daniela Hitzemann)](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neanderthaler,_Oase,_Rum%C3%A4nien_(Daniela_Hitzemann).webp\"){kind=link}
![Machiguenga woman](\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Machiguenga_woman.webp\"){kind=link}
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