Governing the e-subject through identity theft discourses

Abstract

This study explores the social construction of identity theft, including its meanings, risk factors, specific causes and accompanying solutions, articulated in policy documents published by the Consumer Measures Committee (a sub-committee of Industry Canada) and the Royal Bank of Canada. A qualitative analysis of the documents indicates that identity theft is predominately constructed within the documents as an individualized consumer concern. This is in keeping with the shift to neoliberalism identified by Monahan (2009) and Caeton (2007). Within this, individuals are constructed as buying into the electronic marketplace, aligning their own motivations with larger political and economic objectives, while trusting in the advice of experts to overcome manageable risks.