Why we’re all nervous about big data and the problems that need fixing
You don’t need to go digging very far to find dissatisfaction with the way the data industry has developed so far. It’s not an internal issue. It’s a very public problem that’s made big headlines in recent years as people in the public sphere come to realize the effect that new data-based technologies can have on individuals and entire societies.
True, some amount of disfunction can be attributed to growing pains of a sort. The data industry is new compared to manufacturing, services or even the internet, where time has provided solutions to a lot of the main strains and struggles that come with any new economic development. No status quo will ever be perfect, but older industries have reached a point of stability in which they have become some version of their best selves.
This is the same process that the personal data industry needs to go through. The technology is getting too far ahead of our ability to come to and implement a consensus on best practices and how to define positive development. Most of the issues arising out of this industry are moral in nature: Who should own your personal data? Business can make a killing off of personal data, but should that be considered higher priority than the privacy and safety of the data points that make up your life?
The very fact that we automatically use language like “your data” and “your life” supports what seems to be growing public agreement that each individual should be rightfully seen as the owner of his or her data. This also makes sense when viewed as a commodity in economic terms. You produce the data the comes from you, therefore, in moral terms, you ought to have rightful ownership over it.
But the current state of affairs doesn’t follow this creed very closely. As owner of your data, you should have complete control over who uses it and how it’s used. With technological developments being what they are, each individual can be seen as his or her own private business, producing data. Except that businesses are compensated for making their products available. You should be too.
Data-providing consumers currently suffer from the following setbacks:
No transparency — Users have no idea who their data is going to or for what cause. The practice of gathering data and then selling it to third parties greatly exacerbates this problem. But besides shady deals, users lack any technical knowledge of how the data industry works or why. That’s a recipe for easy manipulation through targeted advertisements and other means.
No control — Even if users did know where their data was and what it was getting up to, they have little to no control over it. Users are generally forced to give up at least some data in order to use services that have quickly become necessities rather than luxuries. Every platform has its own privacy settings that are tough to find or understand and the minute you hand over your data, it’s no longer truly yours because you have no control over it.
No incentives — Many companies have been able to increase their rates of data collection by convincing us that convenience is good enough as compensation. One-click login, more relevant ads, pay with your phone — these practices may save us a few seconds in life and make certain products more accessible to us, but is that really worth it while data collectors cash in on your information? There is currently just enough incentive to get us to give up our data, but not enough to make us satisfied with the situation.
Businesses using your data may still be benefiting from the state of things, but their situation is also far from ideal. They suffer from:
No quality assurance — Whose data are you collecting? Is it real? Is it from a bot? Businesses have no way of validating or verifying the data the collect, especially if bought from a third-party. This will likely become a bigger and bigger problem moving forward.
Shortage of quantity — There are only so many people in the world and competition over data is getting fierce. Since consumers lack incentives to provide their data, data collectors are running into higher and higher brick walls. Without another new technology to gather new kinds of data, what more can they collect?
Violation of privacy — Few businesses try to violate your privacy because that’s what they like doing. They do it to make money. What they need is an equally profitable alternative to bring them back from the edge of breaking laws and angering consumers. Ideally, businesses should have clear and honest permission from consumers to collect and make use of data, reducing risk and bringing everyone back to a satisfactory equilibrium.
The challenges facing the personal data industry are significant, but not impossible to overcome. A new model and culture of data collection and use is all that’s needed to put things on the right track. That’s what Senno is all about.
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