IBM said Wednesday that it will make technology called Identity Mixer, a cryptographic algorithm to better secure identities, available to developers via its BlueMix cloud platform.

Identity Mixer's technology uses an algorithm to encrypt personal data that's verified---age, birthdates, address, credit card number etc.---and share only what's needed with third parties. The demo by IBM illustrated how a 12 year old could share information with a streaming movie service to verify age yet keep other details private.

The other wrinkle in Identity Mixer, which can be used in a digital wallet, is that credentials are certified by a third party like a government. The technology has been demonstrated in smart cards, but is now being offered to developers as a cloud service.

Credit: IBM

According to IBM, Identity Mixer could thwart cyberattacks because fewer parties would ever possess personal data. The idea is that third parties can't lose what they never had on the data front.

IBM said there are two large pilots underway in Germany and Australia. In Germany, the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK, also known as the German Red Cross) is using Identity Mixer to gather data from in-home sensors as well as customer data such as medical records and family contracts. Identity Mixer is the go between to ensures privacy.

In Australia, Identity Mixer is being used to secure data needed to ensure that the country's agriculture is safe for exports. Identity Mixer is being used to share secure information with partners in remote locations.