Government and Identity - Ptolemy and Copernicus

In his most famous work, Almagest, astronomer and mathematician, Ptolemy (AD100-170), expounded the view commonly held for centuries that the Earth does not move and is at the centre of the universe. It took until the 16th century and the Polish astronomer Copernicus to prove that the Earth revolves around the sun.

So, why the astronomical theme? Well, I think there are parallels to be drawn with the current attitude towards online citizen identity management in Government. The 'Ptolemaic' viewpoint advocates that Government determines the information citizens need to provide to confirm they are who they say they are before being provided with access to online Government services. The 'Copernican' viewpoint puts the citizen at the centre of online identity management.

The 'Copernican' perspective is the one clearly recommended by Sir James Crosby in his recent report on Identity Assurance for the Prime Minister. You can read more in Jerry's blog (Microsoft's National Technology Officer) including the very pertinent statement from Sir James that "it's the consumer's identity (no-one else's) and identity systems must recognise this fact."

On a less philosophical and more practical note, you can find out more about our approach to online identity management for the public sector in our forthcoming workshop that's being held in association with Milton Keynes Council :

Workshop:	Building Citizen Confidence in Secure Identity Management
Date:	Wednesday June 11th, 2008
Location:	Milton Keynes

You can register online or by phone: 0870 166 6645 (Event ID: 1032379575)

Posted by Ian