Social login, also known as social sign-in, is a form of single sign-on
using existing login information from a social networking service such as
Facebook, Twitter or Google+ to sign into a third party website in lieu of
creating a new login account specifically for that website. It is
designed to simplify logins for end users as well as provide more and more
reliable demographic information to web developers.
Social login is often considered a gateway to many of the recent trends in
social software and social commerce because it can be used as a mechanism
for both authentication and authorization.
How social login works Social login links logins to one or more
social networking services to a website, typically using either a plug-in or a
widget. By selecting the desired social networking service, the user simply uses
his or her login for that services to sign on to the web site. This in turn
negates the need for the end user to remember login information for multiple
electronic commerce and other websites while providing site owners with uniform
demographic information as provided by the social networking service. Many
sites which offer social login also offer more traditional online
registration for those who either desire it or who do not have an account with a
compatible social networking service. Application
Social login can be implemented strictly as an authentication system using
standards such as OpenID or SAML. For consumer websites that offer social
functionality to users, social login is often implemented using the OAuth
standard. OAuth is a secure authorization protocol which is commonly
used in conjunction with authentication to grant 3rd party applications a
"session token" allowing them to make API calls to providers on the user’s
behalf. Sites using social login in this manner typically offer social features
such as commenting, sharing, reactions and gamification.
While social login can be extended to corporate websites, the majority of
social networks and consumer-based identity providers allow self-asserted
identities. For this reason, social login is generally not used for strict,
highly secure applications such as those in banking or health.
Advantages of social login Studies have shown that web site
registration forms are inefficient as many people provide false data, forget
their login information for the site or simply decline to register in the first
place. A study conducted during in 2011 by Janrain and Blue Research found that
77 percent of consumers favored social login as a means of authentication over
more traditional online registration methods. Additional benefits:
Targeted Content - Websites can obtain a profile and social graph data in order
to target personalized content to the user. This includes information such as
name, email, hometown, interests, activities and friends. However, this
can create issues for privacy, and result in a narrowing of the variety of
views and options available on the internet.
Multiple Identities - Users can log in to websites with multiple social
identities allowing them to better control their online identity.
Registration Data - Many websites use the profile data returned from social
login instead of having users manually enter their PII into web forms. This can
potentially speed up the registration or sign-up process.
Pre-Validated Email - Identity providers who support email such as Google and
Yahoo! can return the user’s email address to the 3rd party website
preventing the user from supplying a fabricated email address during the
registration process. Account linking - Because social login
can be used for authentication, many websites allow legacy users to link
pre-existing site account with their social login account without forcing
re-registration. Disadvantages of social login
Utilizing social login through platforms such as Facebook may unintentionally
render third party websites useless within certain libraries, schools, or
workplaces which block social networking services for productivity reasons. It
can also cause difficulties in countries with active censorship regimes, such as
China and its "Golden Shield Project," where the third party website may not be
actively censored, but is effectively blocked if a user's social login is
blocked. Aggregating social login
Social login applications compatible with many social networking services are
available to web developers using blogging platforms such as WordPress.
Companies such as Gigya, Janrain, Oneall.com, Lanoba.com and Loginradius
also provide single solution social login services for web developers. These
companies can provide social login access to 20 or more social network
sites. Security
In March, 2012, a research paper reported an extensive study on the
security of social login mechanisms. The authors found 8 serious logic flaws in
high-profile ID providers and relying party websites, such as OpenID,
Facebook, Janrain, Freelancer, FarmVille, Sears.com, etc. Because the
researchers informed ID providers and relying party websites prior to public
announcement of the discovery of the flaws, the vulnerabilities were
corrected, and there have been no security breaches reported. This
research concludes that the overall security quality of SSO deployments
seems worrisome. Furthermore, by placing reliance on an
account which is operable on many websites, social login creates a single
point of failure, thus considerably augmenting the damage that would be
caused were the account to be hacked. List of common social networking
services using social login AOL
Facebook Foursquare
Google+ Hyves
LinkedIn LiveJournal
Myspace Renren
Vkontakte Twitter
Yahoo! QQ
Sina Weibo Plurk
WordPress Paypal
List of social login providers Gigya
Janrain Loginradius
See also Single sign-on
References Further reading
"Social Sign-On: What is it and How Does It Benefit Your Web Site?" - Social
Technology Review; January 10, 2011 "The Importance of Consumer Identity" -
Windows IT Pro, 22011. Authentication vs. Authorization -
Wikipedia "Pepsi and The X Factor embrace
gamification with The Pepsi Sound Off" - Venturebeat; October 18, 2011
"Social Login 101" - Gigya Blog; November 25, 2015