Are Data Privacy Laws Failing Us?

Photo by Unsplash.

Big data rules and we’re all, sooner or later, going to be caught in the system. At least that’s the takeaway from Netflix documentary The Great Hack about the Cambridge Analytica scandal. It’s a message we’re perhaps all aware of, but one that is hard to (truly) comprehend.

Mere numbers for corporations, powerful targets for advertisers, you in a nutshell — that’s personal data. And there’s big money in consumer data. From shopping carts to social media — understanding you and me and what made your mother purchase a Nicholas Cage sequin pillow drives sales and investments. Some of us may enjoy personalized Amazon recommendations and fast-food vouchers popping up on our phones when Burger King is just two feet away. But what about those of us who prefer not to be found? What’s anonymity worth?

Part of the problem is that data is a recent phenomenon. SINTEF ICT researchers recently pointed out that 90% of data globally has been generated in the last two years, with all of us producing ever more data about ourselves each day. And Peter Bae Brandtzæg of SINTEF adds that it’s not just about the data you actively share, e.g. when you post a photo of a cat with the tagline: “my favorite animal” (congrats now Facebook knows you dig cats). Even fairly passive actions such as using your credit card or logging into your email are recorded.