The electronic representation of a real-world entity. The term is usually taken to mean the online equivalent of an individual human being, which participates in electronic transactions on behalf of the person in question. However a broader definition also assigns digital identities to organizations, companies and even individual electronic devices. Various complex questions of privacy, ownership and security surround the issue of digital identity.
William Gibson has a lot to answer for. His vision of cyberspace has shaped the way that we think about the Internet, and it has been grossly misleading ...