Identification and Insecurity in the Data Economy

The ways in which a society handles financial identity theft have implications for markets, inequalities, and everyday life.

Principal Investigator:

This project investigates identity theft resolution from the perspective of victims and the organizations they navigate. It aims to improve our understanding of the processes for managing and negotiating personal data and their consequences, particularly for the smooth operation of contemporary economic markets.

Using mixed qualitative methods—including over 100 interviews with victims and professionals, hundreds of hours of observation in industry and nonprofit settings, and analysis of regulatory and organizational documents— Dr. Jordan Brensinger shows how unique identities and “accurate” personal financial data emerge from potentially fraught negotiations between technology, expert judgment, and consumer subjectivity that can burden consumers and expose them to financial hardship and insecurity.