Future Shock | After Shock

It’s 50 years since Alvin Toffler‘s ‘Future Shock‘ was published in 1970. I remember first reading it some time later, in a battered, orange-coloured paperback

21st century identity

My opinion piece for Computer Weekly – implementing a 21st century approach to digital identity – has been published this morning. It sets out a

tortoise banks and uneven playing fields

Perhaps we had a lucky escape when banks declined to become online ‘identity providers’. After all, their track record in online security has some peculiar

the elusive pursuit of outsourced digital identity

Remember when UK banks were innovative, leading the world and always at the top of the polls for brilliant customer service? No, me neither. Actually,

the rise and fall – and rise? – of the performance platform

Open data and open standards were given a welcome and practical revival in the early days of the Government Digital Service (GDS). This included the

Digital government and asymmetric justice

Governments are acquiring and sharing more of our data on the basis that it will improve efficiency, personalise services, and reduce fraud, error and debt.

Improving identity assurance and trust

We may live in a digital age, but paper documents – notably passports – are still the most trusted evidence to help prove who we

biometrics revisited

One day last week I stumbled across the advert above for Biometrics 2006 while trying to sort out my hopelessly disorganised backlog of digital files.

remembering government.direct – the first interactive green paper

“Top 5% of all Web sites!” “Networking industry awards!” “Awards for excellence!” No, these accolades aren’t for GOV.UK. They’re for the much earlier 1994 central

Data Privacy Day musings

Consider this on #DataPrivacyDay. For more than 60 years now, organisations have been trying to understand and manipulate the way we think, as the first

The political opportunity – and threat – of better public services

Hard to believe I know, but we’re approaching ten years ago – 4th June 2009 to be precise – when Tim O’Reilly set out his

The curious ‘failings’ of Facebook – and the true cost of ‘free’

Facebook manages to achieve the near impossible. It often appears technically and politically incompetent, yet remains highly profitable. Its ability to track, monitor and profile