There follows a list of websites dealing with themes relevant to the documentation of individual identity; to suggest a link please contact our webmaster. The network is not responsible for the content of external sites, nor are views expressed those of the network or its members. All links open in a new window.
Academic Networks & Projects
• Biopolitics of Security Network
Multifunctional research platform and teaching facility based at Keele University [UK].
• BITE (Biometric Identification Technology Ethics)
Group promoting research and public debate into the ethical implications of biometric identification methods, led by IdentiNet member Emilio Mordini (concluded February 2007).
• CHALLENGE: Liberty & Security
EC research project investigating the human rights implications of information gathering and storage, coordinated by IdentiNet member Didier Bigo.
• HIDE (Homeland Security, Biometric Identification & Personal Detection Ethics)
A successor to BITE (see above), HIDE provides a platform for solution-oriented discussion of the ethical and privacy issues of biometrics and personal detection technologies.
• History & Policy
Initiative connecting historians, policymakers and the media, founded by IdentiNet member Simon Szreter.
• Identity-Cards.net NEW!
Recently launched site on national ID card systems worldwide, based at Queens’ University [Canada] and the University of Victoria [Canada] and maintained under the auspices of The Surveillance Project (see below).
• Light Blue Touchpaper
Excellent security research weblog maintained by computer scientists at the University of Cambridge, featuring contributions from IdentiNet member Ross Anderson.
• National Identity in Russia from 1961: Traditions and Deterritorialisation
Interdisciplinary research group based at the University of Oxford, featuring a project on the anthropology of the Soviet passport.
• On the Identity Trail
Canada-based research group investigating anonymity and authentication in networked society.
• Photo-ID: Photographers and Scientists Explore Identity
UK-based exhibition exploring issues of identity and identification through photographic media.
• The Privacy Advocates
Site designed to facilitate communication between individuals and groups examining privacy and data protection from the perspective of civil society.
• Projet Bertillon NEW!
Innovative online resource dedicated to the life and work of pioneer of forensic identification techniques Alphonse Bertillon (1853-1914), coordinated by IdentiNet participants Ilsen About and Pierre Piazza.
• Roger Clarke.com
Site dedicated to data surveillance, information privacy and electronic identification, maintained by an Australian academic and consultant. Features full-text articles, annotated bibliographies and guides to further resources.
• The Surveillance Project
Research group exploring surveillance practices, based at Queen’s University [Canada] under the leadership of IdentiNet member David Lyon.
• Surveillance Studies
German-based network of surveillance researchers.
• Surveillance Studies Network
International research and information network on surveillance, based in the UK.
• Verdaten. Klassifizieren. Archivieren. Identifizierung von Personen aus kulturwissenschaftlicher Perspektive
Austrian research group investigating identification technologies in the Habsburg Empire and France from the early modern period to the present, involving IdentiNet bursary holder Anna Masoner.
Campaign Groups & Blogs
• Australian Privacy Foundation
Group campaigning for Australian privacy rights.
• Henry Porter’s Blog
Commentary on UK civil liberties from a columnist on The Observer newspaper, featuring numerous entries about identification and surveillance.
• The Identity Project
US-based group resisting ID cards and other identity demands.
• Liberty
Cross-party organisation promoting civil liberties in England and Wales.
• NO2ID
UK-based campaign group opposed to national identity cards and other government databases.
• Notes from the Ubiquitous Surveillance Society
Blog on surveillance run by a research fellow at the University of Newcastle.
• Privacy International
UK-based human rights watchdog on surveillance and privacy invasions by governments and corporations.
• Statewatch
UK-based group promoting informed debate about civil liberties, government accountability and openness.
Primary Sources
• FBI Fingerprint Guide
Outline of procedures for the recording and analysis of fingerprints.
• IPS (Identity & Passport Service)
Home Office department responsible for the issuing of UK passports and identity cards.
• UK Census Records
Free and fully searchable census records from The National Archives.
• United States Census Bureau
Government agency responsible for the administration of the US Census.
• Virtual Vault: Passports
Some scanned copies of early documents granting safe passage from the Scottish Archive Network.
• Visible Proofs
Visual and material sources relating to the history of forensic medicine from the US National Library of Medicine.
Secondary Materials
• Bibliographic Surveillance Database
Fully searchable bibliographic database provided by The Surveillance Project (see above).
• Caslon Analytics
Australian consultancy specialising in the intersection of law, digital technology and society featuring excellent online guides to identity documents, identity theft, biometrics and surveillance.
• Cultures & Conflits
French language security studies journal with many articles relevant to the documentation of individual identity.
• Fingerprinting.com
Short and informative articles on all aspects of the fingerprint.
• Forensic-Evidence.com
Wide-ranging site pertaining to all aspects of forensic science.
• Handwriting Analysis
Useful introduction to forensic handwriting analysis in the UK, prepared by an English lecturer and part-time handwriting consultant based at the University of Birmingham. Includes extensive bibliography.
• Latent Print Examination
Comprehensive guide to fingerprints, palmprints and footprints maintained by a practising forensic scientist.
• Surveillance & Society
Peer-reviewed electronic journal dedicated to surveillance studies, operated by the Surveillance Studies Network (link above).
Network Sponsors and Partners
• The Leverhulme Trust
• University of Oxford
• Modern European History Research Centre, University of Oxford
• St Antony’s College, University of Oxford
• Department of History, University of Essex
