New ID card systems are proliferating around the world. These may use
digitized fingerprints or photos, may be contactless, using a scanner,
and above all, may rely on computerized registries of personal
information. In this timely new contribution, David Lyon argues that
such IDs represent a fresh phase in the long-term attempts of modern
states to find stable ways of identifying citizens.
New ID systems are "new" because they are high-tech. But their newness
is also seen crucially in the ways that they contribute to new means of
governance. The rise of e-Government and global mobility along with the
aftermath of 9/11 and fears of identity theft are propelling the trend
towards new ID systems. This is further lubricated by high technology
companies seeking lucrative procurements, giving stakes in
identification practices to agencies additional to nation-states,
particularly technical and commercial ones. While the claims made for
new IDs focus on security, efficiency and convenience, each proposal is
also controversial. Fears of privacy-loss, limits to liberty, government
control, and even of totalitarian tendencies are expressed by critics.
This book takes an historical, comparative and sociological look at
citizen-identification, and new ID cards in particular. It concludes
that their widespread use is both likely and, without some strong
safeguards, troublesome, though not necessarily for the reasons most
popularly proposed. Arguing that new IDs demand new approaches to
identification practices given their potential for undermining trust and
contributing to social exclusion, David Lyon provides the clearest
overview of this topical area to date.
