Identity at the margins

Abstract

This paper examines refugees' experiences with and perspectives on the digital identity systems used by humanitarian organizations to collect, manage, and share their personal data. Through a qualitative study with 198 refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, and Uganda, we show how existing humanitarian identity systems present numerous challenges for refugees. For example, we find that refugees have little to no knowledge of the institutional systems and processes through which their personal data is managed and used. In addition, refugees are typically not able to exercise agency with regard to data that is collected about them (e.g., given choices about the data collected). At the same time, we show how refugees make active efforts to negotiate the various identities available to them, consciously weighing the benefits and constraints associated with different statuses to maximize their access to services, eligibility for employment, and spatial mobility. We use Bardzell's lens of feminist interaction design [8] to make sense of these findings and suggest a path forward that engages refugees in the design of improved identity management systems.