In our part of the UK we have some great libraries. Our kids love books of all sorts so we keep the library staff busy in helping us find ones to read. Often we return books long before they are due, however sometimes a library book gets buried in the shelves of books we own or crafts the kids are not yet ready to part with. Then we pay a late fee.

What if organisations thought about identity like library books? What if identity documentation was ‘managed’ by the person about whom the data is and organisations were required to ‘sign it out’. And pay a ‘late fee’ if we kept it too long. If our perspective was that we were ‘borrowing’ or using the identity information for a short period of time, would it change our approach? If we ‘had to give it back/return it,’ would our approach change at all?

What if we started treating identity documentation as not something we own or control? But rather something we borrowed or stewarded for a time. A short time. And something we needed to take care of so others could also use it.

What if?

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP