Atlantic Council Fellow Lays Out Digital ID, DPI Considerations

Identity, data, and infrastructure are the three key building blocks of a digital economy that policymakers must consider most carefully, according to an Atlantic Council fellow and former National Security Council executive.

In a recent opinion piece published on the Atlantic Council website, Carole House discusses the need for a blueprint for open, free, and trustworthy digital economies. She highlights how the internet has driven innovation and economic growth but also enabled fraud, misinformation, and criminal exploitation. Policymakers must address the challenges of scaling technologies and the fragmentation across technological and economic systems. Balancing freedom and security in digital policy is crucial for national security, human freedom, dignity, and economic growth, she argues.

House emphasizes the core building blocks of the digital economy: infrastructure, data, and identity. Infrastructure involves creating standards and technologies for critical functions, while data management includes protecting privacy and ensuring the integrity of information. Digital identity is essential for establishing trust and enabling access to services. The author stresses the importance of accountability in these areas to secure and maintain competitive and equitable digital systems.

Addressing these challenges requires coordinated efforts between policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society. Infrastructure policy should focus on security and openness, while managing decentralization and the commingling of functions. Data policy should balance security, discoverability, and privacy, and combat manipulation to protect information integrity. Identity systems must ensure security, privacy, and equity, with investments in digital identity infrastructure to unlock societal and economic benefits.

House concludes that technology’s benefits and risks depend on how it is implemented and governed. Policymakers and industry leaders must align their efforts to preserve a secure and free internet while addressing current digital landscape shortcomings.

“Policymakers must work with industry to ensure that identity systems, processes, and regulatory requirements implement appropriate controls in full view of all desired outcomes across security, privacy, and equity, consistent with National Institute of Science and Technology standards,” House argues.

The Atlantic Council is a prominent nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1961 to promote constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs, primarily focusing on the transatlantic relationship between the United States and Europe.

The group has come under criticism from opponents of digital ID systems such as Mike Benz, a former State Department diplomat and current executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online. Benz argues that these organizations are part of a broader “censorship industry” that collaborates with government agencies to control and moderate online content, often under the guise of combating misinformation and disinformation. He claims that there is a revolving door between government roles in misinformation control and positions in think tanks and non-profits, such as the Atlantic Council, which he believes undermines democratic principles and free speech.

Carole House formerly served as the Director for Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation for the White House National Security Council, and is now a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center. She will soon return to the NSC to act as its Special Advisor for Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Policy.

Source: Atlantic Council

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(Previous published on Mobile ID World)