Abstract
This paper examines the concept of digital identity which the author asserts is now evident in the United Kingdom as a consequence of the Identity Cards Act (UK) 2006 and the National Identity Scheme it establishes. The nature and functions of the concept, particularly the set of information which constitutes an individual’s transactional identity, are examined. The paper then considers the central question of who, or what, is the legal person in a transaction i.e. who or what enters into legal relations. The analysis presents some intriguing results which were almost certainly not envisaged by the legislature. The implications extend beyond the United Kingdom to similar schemes in other jurisdictions, and to countries, like Australia, which may implement such a scheme.
The original version of this chapter was revised: The copyright line was incorrect. This has been corrected. The Erratum to this chapter is available at DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-02312-5_25
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© 2009 ICST Institute for Computer Science, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering
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Sullivan, C. (2009). Digital Identity – The Legal Person?. In: Sorell, M. (eds) Forensics in Telecommunications, Information and Multimedia. e-Forensics 2009. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 8. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02312-5_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02312-5_23
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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