Reimagining digital identity: towards responsible digital identity practices among Karen refugees in Thailand

This research aims to develop an understanding of responsible digital identity from the point of view of Karen refugees in Thailand and to inform the policy on responsible digital identity systems. Digital identity systems, which increasingly include biometrics, are championed as solutions to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.9 ‘a legal identity for all’. Refugees are particularly affected by the lack of identity documents. Digital identity systems are prevalent in refugee contexts driven by demands to close the ‘identification gap’ and make aid operations efficient. Digital identity systems provide opportunities for recognition, but have significant risks in relation to safeguarding and discrimination. This is an 18-month ethnographic study based in Mae La, the largest refugee camp in Thailand. Through interviews with refugees and key stakeholders, participant observation and participatory methods we will assess the risks of opportunities of existing systems and inform the development of responsible digital identity systems.

Research Team: Professor Mirca Madianou, Goldsmiths, University of London; Dr Charlotte Hill, Chiang Mai University