Do No Harm

Identity is a data-rich resource that acts as a key to connect all levels of emerging digital ecosystems. All forms of ID carry some risk, but digital forms of ID, or “dematerialized ID,” cuts across all sectors and links copious data about individuals, their behaviors, financial status, associates, and potentially even political and religious views. Over time, distinct patterns emerge from the linked data and create new kinds of risks for individuals and groups. As the world becomes increasingly and intensely digitalized, we can expect challenges in the identity space to grow apace unless proactive attention is given to identifying and mitigating the current and future risks.

Numerous African countries, having passed new privacy laws during and after the time the GDPR was being negotiated, have broken new ground by advancing privacy thought in new and important ways which stretch past the boundaries of the GDPR and contextualize privacy for African contexts. The COVID-19 crisis represents a major test of some of the new data governance systems.

AI will alter the world of work, both in workplaces and in workplace information ecosystems. Labor experts have a term for negotiating the near and long-term effects of AI: “A fair and just transition.” These and other experts have already begun documenting the emerging changes in the workplace resulting from AI deployments. Some consequences are positive, some are deleterious. No one has a crystal ball with a perfect view of what the future may hold. That’s why a key focus now for those interested in AI and the world of work is to research and benchmark what is happening.

Identity is a data-rich key that acts to unlock all levels of the emerging digital ecosystem. All forms of ID carry some risk, but digital forms of ID, or “dematerialized ID,” cuts across all sectors and generates particularly copious data about people, their behaviors, financial status, associates, and potentially even political and religious views. Over time, distinct patterns emerge from the data and have in the past created new kinds of risks for individuals and groups…..

In response to the NTIA’s request for information regarding its proposed privacy framework, the World Privacy Forum submitted detailed comments to the agency regarding modern privacy governance. At the core of WPF’s comments is the belief that privacy is in a critical moment of transition. The comments state there needs to be a “broadened approach to privacy and data that is collaborative, fair, and acknowledges the challenges of highly complex data environments.”