[governance] identity - an IG-related issue that crosses boundaries

Ralf Bendrath bendrath at zedat.fu-berlin.de
Sat Mar 11 06:58:46 EST 2006


Garth Graham wrote:

> Hardt is making a prediction that simple and open "user centric" 
> identity is inevitable.  If anything is close to the heart of IG in the
> sense that I meant, it's the issue of how participation in an online
> world changes our personal need to control the expression of identity.
> If Hardt is right (and I hope he is), then beyond IG Forum/ Caucus
> process issues, identity is an issue where civil society voices from
> within the Information Society must play a strong advocacy role.
Very good point, and one that we largely missed to discuss during the WSIS
phase (Bertrand made one brief attempt last year, but then everybody was 
too busy).

The issue of identity (and of online identity management) is strongly 
related to privacy, in the sense that the netizens (or citizens - 
whatever) have to be able to control what kind of information they give to 
whom, and how that is used afterwards. It also is related to pseudonymity 
and anonymity, and a strong fear among privacy advocates is that all these 
infrastructures (the Internet, ambient intelligence systems, RFID 
passports, ...) will make is less easy of even impossible to do things 
anonymously. There is a great deal of work currently being done on 
"Privacy and Identity Management" (PIM) infrastructures, but largely 
without public participation...

Best,

Ralf <- who also supports Jeanette's and Bill's proposals for the IGC+
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