It’s Time for a Bill of Data Rights
As the US Senate debates a new bill, a data-governance expert presents a plan to protect liberty and freedom in the digital age
By Martin Tisne
It is the summer of 2023, and Rachel is broke. Sitting in a bar one evening, browsing job ads on her phone, she gets a text message. Researchers doing a study on liver function have gotten her name from the bar’s loyalty program — she’d signed up to get a happy-hour discount on nachos. They’re offering $50 a week for access to her phone’s health datastream and her bar tab for the next 3 months.At first, Rachel is annoyed at the intrusion. But she needs the money. So she nods at her phone — a subtle but distinct gesture of assent that is as legally binding as a signature — and goes back to her nachos and her job search.
But as the summer wears on, Rachel can’t help noticing that she’s getting rejection after rejection from employers, while her friends, one by one, line up jobs. Unbeknownst to her — because she didn’t read the fine print — some data from the research study, along with her liquor purchase history, has made it to one of the two employment agencies that have come to dominate the market. Every employer who screens her application with the agency now sees that she’s been profiled as a “depressed…
