Public criticism of compulsory ID has a long history in the UK, which predates the advent of Twitter/X (in fact, it even predates the Blair-era controversy over biometric ID cards in the early 2000s). Also, criticism of the new scheme is coming from BOTH the right & left of the political spectrum.

As Keir Starmer anounces a new Digital ID scheme, we revisit an article from the summer, warning that past attempts at introducing a national identity card point to a moral minefield without necessarily helping tackle irregular immigration. blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

As I said on BBC this morning, the Britcard isn't a carefully thought-out digitization strategy; it's a reactive policy response to right-wing populism & moral panic about asylum seekers. A piece from earlier this year w/ @margchee.bsky.social & @empo11on.bsky.social blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

You may already have seen her on the BBC this morning, but journalists and policy experts looking for experts on digital ID cards - you need to speak to @kerenweitzberg.bsky.social This is a post from earlier this year blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

It appears the UK Labor government is moving forward with plans to introduce digital IDs to address complex migration challenges www.ft.com/content/f2b3... In July, @margchee.bsky.social, @kerenweitzberg.bsky.social and I wrote about the challenges that lie ahead blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

This is a billionaire-funded Tony Blair lobbying project being funnelled unchallenged onto the front page of a national newspaper. 1/

Can't believe that Silicon Valley just brought back layaway and rebranded it as "fintech".

New paper out in @bigdatasoc.bsky.social on #humanitarian #data #sovereignty💥 doi.org/10.1177/2053... My deep gratitude to @kerenweitzberg.bsky.social, @margchee.bsky.social, @emryss.bsky.social, Quito Tsui, Paul Currion, @sophiebt.bsky.social, and @massimomarelli.bsky.social for the inspiration ❤️

New blog based on our research with humanitarians navigating the current funding crisis. What should the future of humanitarian data management look like? caribou.global/publications... @emryss.bsky.social

Our latest on Labour's ill-advised "Britcard" blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp... with @empo11on.bsky.social and @margchee.bsky.social

Excited to share my latest article. It examines how humanitarian data came to be repurposed for citizenship determination, focusing on an often-overlooked form of biometric border-making: the digitized mechanisms for keeping citizens out of refugee camps. tinyurl.com/bde5a6dw

With @kerenweitzberg.bsky.social, I've been exploring the intersection of AI governance & #digitalidentity. In an essay in the new #openaccess 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 collection, we reflect on how companies like @world.org are resignifying #biometrics in the AI age libraopen.lib.virginia.edu/public_view/...

Very excited to be part of this volume, “Reimagining AI for Environmental Justice and Creativity,” with Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social. Where we discuss tech companies like 'World' and the quest of biometrically authenticated 'personhood' in the AI age. doi.org/10.18130/03d...

How do grassroots movements resist state collapse in Sudan? Raga Makawi, Co-Director of Studies for the 2025 Sudan & South Sudan Course, shares reflections on civic politics and community resilience. Watch full video: youtu.be/YK4IhRGtC8U More info: courses.riftvalley.net

Proud to announce the launch of our report on the challenges that refugees and migrants in Kenya face accessing state-issued identification, generously funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, and co-produced w/ Haki na Sheria w/ support from Caribou Digital www.cariboudigital.net/publication/...

For those of you not able to attend in person but who would like to listen to the recording, here is a link: soundcloud.com/qmulofficial... It was a beautiful tribute to Elleni Centime Zeleke w/ comments from Layli Uddin, Safia Aidid, Richard Drayton, Chris Moffat, & Alden Young. Please listen/share

For those of you in the London are: My colleague Layli Uddin & I are hosting an event in honor of the memory/legacy of Elleni Centime Zeleke, author of the trailblazing book, Ethiopia in Theory, on 27 February: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dialogue-e...

Sharing a post from late last year with @empo11on.bsky.social. Our reflections attending the Biometrics Institute Congress, about how the biometrics sector is grappling with 'AI'... medium.com/caribou-digi...

The CBP One app is dead within hours of the start of the Trump administration. apnews.com/article/trum...

Please join me; Yussuf Bashir (Haki na Sheria Institute); Laura Bingham (Temple University's Institute for Law, Innovation & Technology); and Nora Naji this Wed, Jan 15th at 2pm GMT as we discuss digital ID, humanitarian tech, & the profound identification challenges facing migrants/refugees.