Since the mid 1990s, when the general public began using the Internet, governments and commerce have made vast investments in digital communications technology. There has been confusion and sometimes controversy over these, for example the proposed UK identity card system. The far-reaching commercial and social implications of decisions made in invisible or opaque specialist fields should concern every citizen. This book argues that decisions should be based on an understanding of the systems, technology and environment within which they operate; that experts and ordinary people should work together; and that technology and law are evolving in restrictive rather than enabling ways.