Drawing the Risk. Communicating and Preventing the Online Identity Theft through Art-Based Methods.

Contemporary risks take on new characteristics and their effects are potentially unlimited. The digitalization of society has provided criminals with new opportunities to obtain and misuse personal identity information. The emergence and spread of Online IDentity Theft (OIDT) is an example of this. As users, we, directly, generate data and assume risks, not always consciously. Very little is known about the profile, needs, experiences, risks of people whose identity information has been compromised or misused. European victims of OIDT often do not report the crime, believing that the harm suffered is not significant enough or lacking adequate resources to counteract it.

With the aim of expanding information and awareness towards the importance of understanding the risk and avoid its underestimation but also supporting “a preventive” communication, an interdisciplinary team (sociologists and artist) has conducted an experimental project at the University of Bologna developing art-based projects.

The narrations, practical and emotional dynamics, risks’ perceptions have been outlined by 23 semi-structured interviews with OIDT experts and 47 structured interviews with victims. Key informants’ perspectives were the starting point to understand how to draw the risk. As a direct outcome, sociologists and artist realized: (1) a care kit cards (2) a comic strip (3) an infographic “riskymeter”.

In this scenario, visual projects which merge social research and art, were designed to 1) stimulate reflection on the issue of OIDT's risk in everyday life 2) offer pedagogical resources to OIDT’s victims and professionals 3) propose different modes of engagement for communicating the risk and raising awareness to the widest audience.