Date – 2055

Place – Berwick upon Tweed

Following Scottish independence in 2050 and a redrawn English/Scottish border along its ancient route, the Tweed river, a new form of passport was developed. The Identikey was encoded with the personal information of the carrier – Biomarkers – DNA profile – family genealogy – real time social networking information. The ‘Key’ allowed the carrier complete freedom to cross the new international border at will – and also allowed the two governments to data mine the carrier as they travelled! It was the misuse of this data as well as its intrusive nature that led to the notorious ‘Berwick Refusal’

What began as a local protest about the right to anonymity quickly grew to a national then international movement that campaigned successfully for the full control and ownership of an individuals data (Bio/Digital/Social) that we benefit from today.

Back to the Treasures from Dunbar collection