Public Lecture - Digital identity: reflecting on twenty years of the LSE Identity Project

On Wednesday 11 June 2025 we celebrated twenty years since the publication of the impactful LSE Identity Project with an insightful public lecture reflecting on the lessons learned around the social study of identity systems in the intervening period.

June 2005 saw the launch of the LSE Identity Project report into the then Labour Government’s plans to introduce biometric identity cards in the UK.  The report played a prominent role in shaping parliamentary debates on the issue.  It also influenced public and media perceptions of the proposed scheme so much so that following the 2010 general election, the first bill of the incoming coalition government was to scrap the identity cards scheme.

In the intervening twenty years, academic research into the social study of identity systems has grown significantly and globally as more and more countries look to introduce some form of identity system, in part to address Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.9.

Academic research into the social study of identity systems continues to play a pivotal role in policy deliberation and practice around these systems.

This event provided an opportunity to look back on the lessons learned from the social study of identity systems and look forward to the role that academic research can play in the ongoing engagement in this important space at the intersection of policy and technology.

Our chair and speakers

Chair: Shirin Madon is Professor of Information Communication Technologies and Socioeconomic Development. Shirin's research centres on the topic of information and communication technologies for development and humanitarian aid and she is currently investigating the implications of digital innovation in the humanitarian sector with a focus on digital identity and cash assistance.

Edgar Whitley is Professor of Information Systems in the Department of Management at LSE. He was the research coordinator for the LSE Identity Project and was a frequent media commentator on the government’s proposals. Edgar has advised governments in Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, India, Jamaica, Japan and Mexico about the political, technological and social challenges of effective identity policies. Alongside a range of academic publications in this space he has contributed to reports on identity issues for the World Bank, Omidyar Network, the Centre for Global Development and Women in Identity.

Gus Hosein is Executive Director of Privacy International and was project mentor for the original LSE Identity Project Report.  Gus has worked at the intersection of technology and human rights for over twenty-five years. He developed national, regional, and global campaigns on communications privacy and founded regional and global networks of civil society organisations to work on technology and rights. In 2018 Gus was awarded the International Champion of Privacy award by the Electronic Privacy Information Centre.

Reetika Khera is Professor of Economics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.  She is a development economist whose work focuses on social policy issues including hunger, nutrition, public health, corruption, and basic education in India. Reetika’s research has shaped several policy debates around India’s public services. 

Silvia Masiero is Associate Professor at the University of Oslo, Norway. Her research operates within the area of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D), with a focus on the role of digital platforms in socio-economic development processes. She has conducted extensive work on the computerisation of India’s main food security programme, the Public Distribution System (PDS).