In the inexorable march of digital technology, one‘s identity is constantly being shaped, measured and defined by fellow citizens, private enterprises and public authorities. This affects the understanding of ourselves as voters, of others as honest citizens, and of heroes of bygone days which we once held dear in our hearts. While individuals‘ lives are becoming more vulnerable to scrutiny and intrusion in our digitalized society, little is known of the process and dynamics of information sharing and decision making. This panel brings together five papers exploring the themes on secrecy and transparency, control and accountability from a comparative perspective. The impact of social media platforms on the right to vote, the problems caused by dataveillance in the age of big data and artificial intelligence with a focus on China‘s social credit system, and the implications of speech regulation that prohibits us from questioning who national heroes are will be studied.