The Identity Check

National identity cards are in the news. While paper ID documents have been used in some countries for a long time, today's rapid growth features high-tech IDs with built-in biometrics and RFID chips. Both long-term trends towards e-Government and the more recent responses to 9/11 have prompted the quest for more stable identity systems. Commercial pressures mix with security rationales to catalyze ID development, aimed at accuracy, efficiency and speed. New ID systems also depend on computerized national registries. Many questions are raised about new IDs but they are often limited by focusing on the cards themselves or on "privacy." Playing the Identity Card shows not only the benefits of how the state can "see" citizens better using these instruments but also the challenges this raises for civil liberties and human rights. ID cards are part of a broader trend towards intensified surveillance and as such are understood very differently according to the history and cultures of the countries concerned.

Personal data is increasingly being exchanged and stored by electronic means, making businesses, organizations and individuals more vulnerable than ever to identity theft and fraud. This book provides a practical and accessible guide to identity theft and fraud using a risk management approach. It outlines various strategies that can be easily implemented to help prevent identity theft and fraud. It addresses technical issues in a clear and uncomplicated way to help decision-makers at all levels understand the steps their businesses and organizations can take to mitigate identity theft and fraud risks. And it highlights the risks individuals face in this digital age. This book can help anyone – businesses and organizations of all sizes, as well as individuals – develop an identity theft and fraud prevention strategy that will reduce their risk and protect their identity assets. To date, little has been written on identity theft and fraud with a Canadian audience in mind. This book fills that gap, helping Canadians minimize their identity theft and fraud risks.

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.

Identity theft is sometimes considered a victimless crime, but readers will discover the truth about this damaging kind of crime as they learn about its history and the ways identity thieves work today. Essential facts about the methods identity thieves use—including stealing mail and hacking computers—are presented through comprehensive main text, comprehensive sidebars, and informative fact boxes. Readers also discover the ways the latest technology is used to find and stop identity thieves and how people can pursue a career in investigating identity theft. Detailed photographs are included to enhance this engaging reading experience.

A new legal concept of identity. As transactions once based on personal relationships are increasingly automated, it is inevitable that our traditional concept of identity will need to be redefined. This book examines the functions and legal nature of an individual's digital identity in the context of a national identity scheme. The analysis and findings are relevant to the one proposed for the United Kingdom, to other countries which have similar schemes, and to countries like Australia which are likely to establish such a scheme in the near future. Under a national identity scheme, being asked to provide ID will become as commonplace as being asked one's name, and the concept of identity will become embedded in processes essential to the national economic and social order. The analysis reveals the emergence of a new legal concept of identity. This emergent concept and the associated individual rights, including the right to identity, potentially change the legal and commercial landscape. The author examines the implications for individuals, businesses and government against a background of identity crime.