Researchers looking at digital identification find themselves confronted with
the problem of a geographically extended field site as well as a variety of
access issues for which the traditional sociological toolbox alone is not
always sufficient. Activist research groups and journalists have long tried to
circumvent similar problems through creative methodologies; here we might
draw, for instance, on the lengthy experience of campaigners seeking to map
out the work of corporations, as well as powerful developments within open
source research over the past few years. Through the example of my own
fieldwork on a registration project in Senegal, I will provide a few ideas on how open
source information such as contract databases, social media, and access to
information requests can also be helpful in mapping out the “field” of digital
identity research and negotiating access.