We lose a bit of our identity and privacy with every online click, post or chat, say participants in a multi-million dollar, multi-year, multi-disciplinary Canadian study into personal privacy in an increasingly networked society.
Their new book, informed by results of the research project, summarizes the exploration and findings of the study group, known as ID Trail.
Ironically, or appropriately enough, the book is available on the Net, as a free download.
Lessons from the Identity Trail: Anonymity, Privacy and Identity in a Networked Society was launched recently in Ottawa, at an event featuring members of ID Trail, held at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
With the current explosion of information and communication technologies, and a widespread adoption of those technologies by public citizens, private institutions and even government organizations, there are those who warn that anonymity and any right to privacy is in jeopardy, as a result.
Lessons from the Identity Trail examines key questions about anonymity, privacy, and identity in an environment that increasingly automates the collection of personal information and relies upon surveillance to promote private and public sector goals.
Dr. Ian Kerr is the lead author of the book. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Ethics, Law and Technology at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law.
Working collaboratively over a four-year period, the authors have integrated crucial public policy themes with the most recent research outcomes.
Taking responsibility for our online actions on line may be just one way we relinquish privacy, Dr. Kerr warned. “Every day, millions of Canadians hop on the Internet to check e-mail, chat with their friends on social networking sites, book a vacation or buy a gift. And each time they click on a purchase or post a picture, they give up a little bit of their privacy,” said event host and CBC anchor Nancy Wilson in introducing Dr. Kerr.
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada contributed almost $3 million for the project. It was one of the largest grants the federal agency has ever provided. Corporate sponsors, including Bell Canada, IBM, and Entrust Technologies, provided an additional $1 million.
The research project brought together a distinguished array of philosophers, ethicists, feminists, cognitive scientists, lawyers, cryptographers, engineers, policy analysts, government policy makers, and privacy experts.
Kerr directed the work of a 23-member research team that includes leading privacy experts from around the world. That team includes Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Washington D.C. based Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Stephanie Perrin, one of Canada’s foremost privacy experts, and Steve Mann, the pioneer of “wearable” computing and other cyborg technologies.
For more information, visit http://www.idtrail.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/