Review

"This volume promises to make important contributions to policy and scholarly thinking about developments in information technologies and changes in social, cultural and personal practices and values. Ian Kerr and his talented colleagues explore the intricacies of privacy, identity and anonymity applying fresh analytical approaches, revealing the limitations of several traditional concepts, and identifying new insights on these critically important issues. The editors have effectively fused a range of multidisciplinary perspectives to enrich and sharpen the analysis and intellectual contribution. This book is likely to generate more informed and nuanced dialogue among scholars, technologists, and policymakers."
--Priscilla M. Regan,George Mason University


Product Description
During the past decade, rapid developments in information and communications technology have transformed key social, commercial and political realities. Within that same time period, working at something less than internet speed, much of the academic and policy debates arising from these new and emerging technologies have been fragmented. There have been few examples of interdisciplinary dialogue about the potential for anonymity and privacy in a networked society. Lessons from the Identity Trail fills that gap, and examines key questions about anonymity, privacy and identity in an environment that increasingly automates the collection of personal information and uses surveillance to reduce corporate and security risks.
This project has been informed by the results of a multi-million dollar research project that has brought together a distinguished array of philosophers, ethicists, feminists, cognitive scientists, lawyers, cryptographers, engineers, policy analysts, government policy makers and privacy experts. Working collaboratively over a four-year period and participating in an iterative process designed to maximize the potential for interdisciplinary discussion and feedback through a series of workshops and peer review, the authors have integrated crucial public policy themes with the most recent research outcomes.