Authorization
The process of determining what actions or resources an authenticated user or system is permitted to access.
In-Depth Explanation
Authorization (or authorization) determines what an authenticated entity is allowed to do. After confirming identity (authentication), authorization checks permissions to specific resources or actions.
Authorization models:
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Permissions assigned to roles, users assigned to roles
- Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC): Decisions based on attributes (user, resource, environment)
- Policy-Based Access Control: Explicit policies define access rules
- OAuth scopes: Permissions granted during authorization flow
Common patterns:
- Admin/user/guest roles
- Resource-level permissions (read/write/delete)
- Hierarchical access (org → team → user)
- Time-based access restrictions
Implementation:
- Store permissions in database or policy engine
- Check permissions before granting access
- Return 403 Forbidden for unauthorized requests
- Log authorization decisions for audit
Business Context
Proper authorization ensures US business users can only access what they need, protecting sensitive data and meeting American compliance requirements like SOC 2, HIPAA, and CCPA.
How Clever Ops Uses This
We implement authorization for American business AI systems, ensuring appropriate access controls that comply with US regulations including HIPAA, SOX, and state privacy laws.
Example Use Case
"Implementing role-based access where admins can train models, analysts can view results, and basic users can only query the AI."