ABSTRACT
The interplay between privacy and identification is complex and thus difficult to grasp, especially in light of an increasingly digitized, networked society. To tackle this complexity, this chapter examines this interplay from a wider, systemic perspective. After briefly outlining the basic concepts of systems theory, the general meanings, functions and differences of privacy and (digital) identification are explained. Both concepts are discussed in relation to the dynamics of socio-technical systems to show how and why they are altered through technology, and particularly through ICTs, which are understood as a socio-technical metasystem.
