Identity Platforms and Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation: Implications for Safeguarding Personal Data

Abstract

Little is known about how digital identity platforms can be managed and operated in countries where governments have introduced anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. This work-in-progress study explores the tensions associated with digital identity platforms in these contexts. It draws on concepts from actor network theory to analyze field data collected by the authors in the Health Information Systems (HISP) research programme around a digital platform (DHIS2) that is installed in 114 countries globally, primarily in the health sector. The study identifies contradictory interests among the human and non-human actors, and analyzes these according to (1) the operation of a digital identity platform in a legally gray area, (2) visibility and invisibilization of vulnerable populations, and (3) human rights vs neo-colonialism. In particular, the paper identifies the potential for enrollment of the identity platform technology from intended into realities of use in identifying LGBTQ+ individuals and groups, identifying risks of data-induced harm and routes to overcoming them.