The internet continues to evolve; the way it’s used continues to change. As people interact with the internet in more and more locations, including public space (like the British Library, train station, art gallery) and through a range of machines (friends, public library) it becomes more and more useful to have a single identity and a single sign on. A bit like signing on to Groogle, but more powerful and more all encompassing.

BUT. Rather than concentrating on an opt-in private and secure electronic identity, we find the governmnet heading at a speed of knots towards mandatory ID cards. And we find more and more organisations becoming obsessed about our habits and movements (supermarkets, governments, transport operators, internet search engines).

The possibility is there. Secure, encrypted, private electronic interaction. The reality is the beginning of what feels like a technical dystopia where our privacy is commodified; our actions all knowable.

Where are the Luddites when we need them?