Me, Myself and I: Aggregated and Disaggregated Identities on Social Networking Services
Journal of International Commercial Law and Technology, 2012
24 Pages Posted: 16 Nov 2011
Date Written: November 15, 2011
Abstract
Digital identity is used online not only in contexts requiring strong authentication, but also in less formal interactions where anonymous, pseudonymous, and disaggregated identities can suffice. Increasingly, SNS operators are harnessing their broad user base and wealth of personal information to become vital components of the internet's identity layer. The provision of identity management tools by SNS operators for purposes of authentication, identification and authorization raises thorny problems of privacy, security and user control.
In this article I explore some of the legal issues arising from the transformation of SNS operators to providers of digital identity. I consider the implications of the involvement of private sector entities in the field of identity management and discuss some of the privacy implications, as well as the prospects for conciliation between online anonymity and pseudonymity, on the one hand, and the need for identifiability and accountability on the other hand.
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