Launch of a new Demos pamphlet on the new politics of personal information, with:

Richard Thomas, Information Commissioner
Bill Thompson, BBC technology critic
Natalie Haynes, Comedian and Times Columnist

We live in a surveillance culture. More and more about what we do, say and consume is available for others to see. But this is not ‘1984’. People are increasingly willing to be part of this information society, keen for the benefits it affords. Giving away information about ourselves means we experience more personal and convenient services and have new tools to communicate.

At the same time, it is easier than ever for people in the public and private sector to take decisions about us without our knowledge, with little opportunity for the public to debate how and when that happens. This report offers a new framework to understand the politics of personal information, and sets out how its use can be more open, democratic and transparent.

Written by Peter Bradwell and Niamh Gallagher, the launch marks the culmination of a nine month research project into our increasing reliance on personal information in the public and private sector.

If you would like to attend the event, please write to demos_fyi@demos.co.uk.