This archive report was first published on 25 August 2019.
The Dark Side of Tech: Who Owns Your Data? ¶
As we click away in modern life, we generate a vast trove of data that is stored and analysed by giant tech companies. This data includes our purchase histories, travel locations, photos and videos, opinions on current affairs, and more.
Artificial intelligence tools can be applied to this data, revealing intimate details about our lives, including our relationships, health, and fears. This profile of us is enormously valuable to companies who want to sell us things and to politicians who want to influence our vote.
The Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal showed us a glimpse of how badly this can end. If someone combines all our data with our electoral identity and voting history, they can target us with tailored stories that play on our anxieties and press the right emotional buttons.
Regulators are finally in play, issuing new data privacy laws and imposing big fines for breaches. Tech enthusiasts are promoting 'human-centred' technology that helps us with our weaknesses without preying on them. A vigorous discussion is under way about data ownership and whether technology companies should be free to mine and sell our data without our permission.
As we navigate the digital world, we need to think harder about tech in terms of using it to help us improve our lives, rather than letting it expose us to fresh dangers. Do you care about your data and where it goes? Would you pay a little for more privacy, or do you just want to have all the messaging coming at you because the product is free? It's a choice.
