Project aims to give users control over how passwords, financial details are shared across Web sites IBM and Novell announced their support Monday for an open-source project aiming to give users more control over how information such as passwords and financial details are shared across multiple Web sites.The two companies, along with Parity Communications, will contribute code to Project Higgins, a concept developed by Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society. The project is managed by the Eclipse open-source foundation.The future application is envisioned to allow users the simplicity, for example, of changing their address across multiple Web accounts. Users would control their own information rather than external organizations, IBM said, setting rules for how much personal information businesses such as an insurance company or bank would see. The Higgins application will support Linux, Windows and other operating systems, IBM said. IBM said it will incorporate Higgins into its Tivoli management software with support from other software vendors.On the same front, Microsoft is marshaling support for InfoCard, its version of a secure identity manager that is scheduled to ship with its next-generation OS, Windows Vista, this fall. SecuritySoftware DevelopmentOpen SourceIdentity Management Solutions