Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, public officials have been under increasing pressure to employ identity in the name of security. Advancements in identification and surveillance technologies -- biometrics, identity cards, databases, RFID, and so on -- threaten privacy and civil liberties, enable identity fraud, and subject people to unwanted observation. But there is no going back.

Rep. John Dougall has invited Jim Harper to discuss his book, Identity Crisis: How Identification is Overused and Misunderstood. Identity Crisis is a superb primer on identification, identification theory, and identity policy. Citizens, technologists, and policymakers alike need a good grounding in the uses and abuses of identification in providing security and facilitating daily transactions. His book serves precisely that purpose and his talk will as well.

If you're interested, you're invited. Park on the east side of the Capitol Complex and walk through the east building and across the plaza to the West building. I think you'll find Jim very interesting.

Jim Harper is the Director of Information Policy Studies at the CATO Institute. I heard Jim speak at DIDW and was very interested in having him come out to Utah. His message is very useful for anyone interested in identity and it's uses. There are clear public policy issues. Jim's book, Identity Crisis, is a great read for anyone interested in what the move toward increased uses of identity means for society.