Call for leadership

The weaknesses of the current Internet architecture is probably equalled by the poor understanding of the impact digital technology have on the construction of our identities: IT engineers reduce identity to identifiers and sets of personal attributes, policy makers reduce identity issues to the protection of privacy formulating regulations that rarely take into account emerging practices and technologies ; with the exception of a few individuals, sociology, psychology, ethnology and philosophy have not yet embraced the full reality of the continent Internet, and when publicised by mass media, superficial research is generally used to activate fears in the readers, rather than their capacity to reflect.

The main issue with the current Internet architecture and its ability to support identity construction is the fragmentation of personal data: the digital component of our identities is fragmented across an ever-increasing number of services. People are not in control of their personal data. The integrity of our digital self, hence our identity, is at stake.

Fragmentation of our digital self is the result of an architecture where each service and application manages personal data in an idiosyncratic way with little or no control by individuals.This situation is bad for privacy and trust, as well as damaging to personal and business relationships. But we cannot let the risks and inconveniences of the current situation overshadow the tremendous opportunities offered by technologies and the innovation they bring. There are solutions to put people back in control of their personal data, and to allow them to fully benefit from digital technologies in constructing their identities.

To address this double challenge, the fragmentation of the digital self and the lack of understanding of the impact of technology on the construction of identity, we have decided to create a Foundation with the mission to:

• Put people back in control of their personal data: creating the technical and organisational conditions for individuals to be able to reunite their personal data and take control of their exploitation.
• Support research programmes on identity construction: inviting all fields of knowledge to confront current identity theories and practices across cultures, worldwide, in the new reality of a digitally expanded world.

To address its first mission, the Foundation will support an architecture based on the effective split between storage and exploitation of personal data: instead of each service and organisation keeping their own databases of personal data, they will make use of Personal Data Stores (PDS) owned and controlled by emancipated individuals that will become the central element of the future Internet architecture, contributing to the creation of an Internet of emancipated subjects.

To address its second mission, the Foundation will coordinate and support research programmes on identity and digital technologies. Special care will be taken to include different groups and cultures across the world. Special action research programmes will be carried out in the field of education and lifelong learning.

In order to achieve the Foundation’s goals, we need to establish a strong leadership, bringing together major stakeholders and organisations that are willing to take the lead in what could be a major transformation of the way people, network, organisations and businesses exist and operate on the Internet. We are looking for brainpower and influence in mobilising the required resources and establishing a legitimate governance body for the new architecture where people will be able to exist as empowered subjects.

The current roadmap for the creation of the foundation is.....

• 5-7 July 2010, London: incorporation and launch of the Foundation, during Learning Forum London (www.ep2010.eu)
• November 2010, Poitiers: International colloquium

We would like to invite you and your organisation to join the Internet of Subjects Forum (IoSF), a unique opportunity for your organisation to take the lead in an innovative initiative that might have a major impact on the future of the Internet.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The IoSF team

Contacts:  Didier Moreau didier.moreau@emf.ccsti.eu
Serge Ravet serge.ravet@eife-l.org
Rob Arntsen Rob.Arntsen@myknowledgemap.com