Sleepwalking into our technological future

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Apr 24 2004

More public debate is needed about how advances in technology will affect the proposed national identity card scheme, a meeting at the Royal Society on the 24th April. The Earl of Selborne, chair of the Royal Society's Science in Society Committee, will tell the National Forum on Cybertrust and Information Security that more discussion is needed about how computers, the internet and other technologies could and should affect daily life.

The Earl of Selborne will say: “A key part of the Forum today will be addressing how we harness the benefits of technology whilst minimising the risks identified. There has been a lack of public debate and there is a very real danger that we are ‘sleepwalking’ into our technological future.

“This has been illustrated by the current discussions about identity cards, the draft bill for which will be published next week, it is rumoured. The current debate has focused primarily on what is technologically possible now. But with the rapid pace of progress in science and technology it is vital that we also consider what will be technologically possible in the future. This week's MORI poll found 80 per cent of those questioned in favour of a national identity card scheme. But what uses will the cards have in the future? And what kinds of data will the cards be able to hold as technology progresses?

“In responding to the government consultation on identity cards, the public suggested that they should hold information that might be useful in a medical emergency such as blood group or allergies. But what if the cards also held data about our genetic disposition to specific diseases, or revealed information about our lifestyles that affect health, such as how much we are overweight or how much alcohol we are drinking, updated daily. These are technically possible in the future, so we should be discussing whether they are desirable.”

The Earl of Selborne will add: “Although there is no suggestion that the cards will be compulsory, as more organisations find them of use in confirming identity it may effectively become impossible to operate in society without one - compulsion by default. It is not at all unfeasible to imagine a future where Identity cards increasingly take on a whole host of roles as most of our transactions are made remotely via computer networks. The question we need to ask is, are we happy for technological capabilities to become the driving factor in such decisions or should acceptability to the public be the overriding criterion?

“We need to be careful not to paint a pessimistic picture of the future as there are enormous benefits that technology has brought and will continue to bring. Today's Forum should act as a wake up call to us all and stop us being too complacent about technology. We hope the key findings of today's Forum will be addressed by Government in consultation with the public in order that developments in information and communications technology can be harnessed to the benefit of all members of society.”

The National Forum on Cybertrust and Information Security will bring together the public, experts, policy-makers and industry to exchange views on how information and communications technology should be controlled and delivered in the future. The Forum follows a series of regional workshops in Leicester, Doncaster and Bristol. Views expressed at the regional workshops have provided the focus for the issues to be discussed at the Forum.

The regional workshops revealed a public that accepted as inevitable, a future driven by technology. Whilst the benefits of technology were highlighted such as faster and more efficient ways of interacting and consuming, concerns were expressed about groups such as the elderly becoming marginalized and about the loss of social contact with less play amongst children and less interest or care between neighbours.

In general, people did not mind businesses keeping information on them providing there was a mutual benefit and consent as to how it would be used. Concerns were raised however, as to the security, sharing and liability of such information and it was felt the onus was very much on companies to develop secure and reliable systems. A further aspect of privacy and security raised at the workshops was the trust held in those in charge of systems. One suggestion was the need for an independent watchdog or ombudsman to ensure public concerns were heard and acted upon. On the whole most participants had not had a chance to consider in detail how technologies will develop in the future, or how they might affect their daily lives.

Those who attended the regional workshops will take part in the National Forum, with the aim of guiding future policy in the UK. Government and industry representatives will be present at the meeting and are hoping to gain an important insight into the views of the public.

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Tags: Alcohol, Blood, Children, Consultation, Genetic, Seniors, Sleepwalking, Technology