This week, cybercrime-prevention company ThreatMetrix launched Digital Identity Graph, a new tool to help businesses positively identify their customers.

The Digital Identity Graph maps associations among people, devices, phone numbers, account credentials, home addresses, and businesses they associate with. The resulting map defines digital, global relationships without compromising privacy. On top of the Digital Identity Graph, the company layers machine learning and behavioral analytics across 2 billion monthly transactions serving 4,000 customers around the globe.

The resulting graph enables ThreatMetrix to skip traditional authentication requirements, many of which include static information that fraudsters already have access to. The Digital Identity Graph not only places information in context, but also can identify a cyber attack in real time.

The data set required for the Digital Identity Graph is massive, and the San Francisco-based company is referring to the new tool as a “data science and engineering achievement with multiple, far-reaching applications.” CMO Armen Najarian states that “establishing authentication in today’s global and digital economy is incredibly complex…. our achievements mapping the Digital Identity Graph will pave the way for broad industry adoption and aid in solving unique authentication challenges confronting the public and private sectors.”

ThreatMetrix launched Fraud Prevention 2.0 at FinovateSpring 2009.