Actually an identity is simply a reference point for an accreditation.
Ok, here comes Mirriam-Webster's again.
i·den·ti·ty, n.
1. The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is
definitively recognizable or known: "If the broadcast group is the financial
guts of the company, the news division is its public identity" (Bill Powell).
2. The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual
is recognizable as a member of a group.
3. The quality or condition of being the same as something else.
4. The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity;
individuality.
I'm not sure how an IP or network address becomes one of these things. Maybe
#2 could be stretched where the IP would be a means to recognize the sender
as the member of a group. I don't see it as being defined as a reference
point for accredication either, speaking of which...
ac·cred·i·ta·tion, n.
The act of accrediting or the state of being accredited, especially the
granting of approval to an institution of learning by an official review
board after the school has met specific requirements.
[or]
The act of accrediting; as, letters of accreditation. (This came from
Webster's)
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