Description:

This week’s guest is the Identity Jedi, David Lee. David is an Enterprise Architect and thought leader with nearly 20 years of experience in Identity and Access Management, Business Development, and Solution Architecture. David and Richard discuss the biases identity management decision-makers have when it comes to diversity, the consequences that can come with fast-paced software delivery, the future of digital anonymity, and the importance of having difficult conversations around diversity inclusion.

Key Takeaways:

[1:38] David discusses his background in tech and incidental journey in Identity and Access Management.

[4:32] Sending all business digital due to the pandemic has caused a new crop of problems. Including the many concerns relative to diversity inclusion as it relates to digital identity.

[8:03] The biggest problem when it comes to digital identity is access. Decision-makers often don’t consider the technological challenges others face because they have always had access.

[13:15] There is an intersection of ethics and civic responsibility when it comes to identity. There is no discipline for software engineers when it comes to identity and privacy due to the pace at which they are expected to build, but this will likely change due to liabilities and regulation.

[19:06] A potential side effect of the future of identity management could be a lack of anonymity. This exposes that gray area around allowing free speech while maintaining the right to privacy, and who should have access to authentication and verification.

[23:28] The technology exists to be able to create accountability models as it pertains to identity and to reduce misinformation. The challenge is having uncomfortable conversations to address the issues surrounding diversity.

[26:24] Right now, online anonymity is binary rather than the user having the ability to selectively decide.

[29:23] Tech companies made decisions about identity without thinking about user choice.  Older generations are more apt to have concerns about this lack of privacy and anonymity.

[32:48] The demand for faster comes with a set of consequences. The same issues we encounter around diversity in analog will present themselves digitally if we do not address them.

Quotes:

• “For some reason, we get introduced to the identity componentry and it becomes like a bag of chips. We can’t eat just one.”
• “For the vast majority of companies, nobody had a business continuity plan that said, ‘I’m going to send 100% of my people home.’”
• “There’s a room full of middle-aged white men who are controlling the narrative for billions of people.”
• “Is it going to be built with access for everybody in mind?”
• “We talk about data privacy regulations, but we don’t talk about protecting the user.”
• “Some anonymity provides protection.”
• “Challenge everything."

Mentioned in This Episode:

David Lee on Twitter

Identity Jedi

Ping Identity