Global Challenges for Identity Policies

Citation

Elbanna, A. (2011), "Global Challenges for Identity Policies", Information Technology & People, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 197-198. https://doi.org/10.1108/09593841111137368

In this book, Whitley and Hosein present their high profile research on the identity card policies surrounding the UK government's proposals to introduce biometric identity cards. Their initial research on the topic was widely discussed in the UK as it was recruited by different political actors either to oppose the government plans or falsify its findings. The scholars, for their surprise, found themselves in the middle of a public political row and significant presence in the media. At that point, they feared for their jobs and they feared for their reputation as their research quality and integrity was questioned by government officials and many of their contacts in industry and the public sector began to avoid them. As their research became central in the political debate and they found themselves playing a considerable role in the development of the policy debate, Whitley and Hosein continued their interest in examining the relationship between technology and society in the context of the development of identity policies which form the core of this book.

Extensively drawing on different strands of literature, the book provides valuable insights on the particular challenges that democratic processes face when attempting to scrutinize and implement policies that leverage the unique capabilities of information and communication technologies. Edgar and Hosein shows that public policies relating to ICT face a number of unique challenges and require distinctive skills and hence more thorough form of policy process than any general policy‐making process. The introduction of modern “technologically leveraged” identity policies goes far beyond the mere existence of an identity card or a single unique number of administrative purposes.

Edgar and Hosein provide a comprehensive review of national identity policies in many different countries and argue that a new generation of identity policies are slowly emerging taking advantages of the existence of new technologies, advanced government applications of on‐line services, and deployment of biometrics.

The book focuses the discussion on the UK experience in formulating and introducing a national identity policy. Analytically it shows the different problematisation of the recent policy in attempts to appeal to different groups. It was portrayed as part of commitment to “international obligations”, an EU requirement for travel, and a competitive advantage. In doing so, the policy gained support from the “internationalists” in Parliament who would abide by international obligations, the pro‐EU MPs would readily accept decisions approved by the European Parliament, the security‐concerned groups who would not oppose an advanced technology that prevent British passport from being “second‐class” passport that would be vulnerable to fraud while other countries would not suffer so needlessly. Edgar and Hosein reveal the discourse and debate over the essence of the technology and from these debates analyzes the competition of claims about the technology. They develop an analytical frame stems from Science and Technology Studies (STS) and largely based on Latour (2004) to understand the policy process from the perspective of alternative knowledge claims. They further their analysis to scrutinise two statements about technology related issues that hampered controversy and scrutiny of the identity policy proposal. Latour's (2004) notions of “matters of concern” and “matters of fact” in the scientific knowledge are applied to reveal how societal technology debates could be short‐circuited through ignoring on‐going scientific debates and presenting one side of it as a “scientific fact”. Interestingly, Edgar and Hosien demonstrate how the production and publishing of their identity report at that time interfered with the short‐circuiting process and hence was faced with outright opposition and criticism.

The “public” role that technological expertise plays in decision making in the public sector carries the risk of burying problems of political choices into a debate among experts over highly technical alternatives (Nelkin, 1975). Edgar and Hosein provide a convincing argument that policy makers could be locked into a self assurance cycle based on “technological confidence”: belief in technology, belief in its plans, and belief in its ability to deliver projects on time and budget. The authors argue that “technological certainty” is unlikely to be a successful approach. They insightfully suggest that “what is required, both for identity policies and technology policies, is a more effective presentation of the arguments in favour of the proposals based not on technological certainty but rather on confidence that the organization is able to deliver the policy in the way it intends, acknowledging that there are important technological challenges to be faced but that it has the resources and expertise to address these challenges effectively”.

The authors reveal the significant shift the UK scheme passed through from the vision that was debated by parliament on many fronts including its roll out plan, service delivery, the nature and design of the card, and the verification process. They draw our attention to the challenges and problems of implementing identity cards and more importantly to the unintended consequences of such scheme.

The book is of value to academic researchers and policy makers. Beside its theoretical and analytical depth, it draws practical insights from the UK experience of establishing an identity card scheme that could open up opportunities for implementing a successful identity assurance scheme and identity assurance policy.