Playing the Identity Card shows not only the benefits of how the state can "see" citizens better using these instruments but also the challenges this raises for civil liberties and human rights. ID cards are part of a broader trend towards intensified surveillance and as such are understood very differently according to the history and cultures of the countries concerned.
Colin J. Bennett is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Victoria, Canada. His research has focused on the comparative analysis of surveillance technologies and privacy protection policies at the domestic and international levels.
David Lyon
is the Director of the Surveillance Project and Research Chair in Sociology at Queen’s University, Canada. He has been working on surveillance issues since the 1980s, and has particular research interests in national ID cards, aviation security and surveillance and in promoting the cross-disciplinary and international study of surveillance.