The UK is in a state of war over data warns BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, as the Labour and Conservative parties are divided when it comes to how much control individuals should have over the collection of their personal data.
BCS said that it wants to see the creation of a new industry of personal data management which will enable data sharing to benefit everyone, including government, businesses and individuals.
“The data revolution has created a ticking time bomb; sharing personal data is simply not working for anyone at the moment and the problem is in danger of worsening if no immediate action is taken,” said David Evans, director of policy at BCS. “We are learning to lie as consumers, and businesses are using ever-more invasive techniques to learn about us.”
Sharing data as a social and economic function is at its most powerful when it is aggregated and working to the collective benefit, BCS argued. The information can be used to drive the consumer market and modernize public services. For example, allowing supermarkets to better understand the products consumers would like to buy in the future; and allowing health services to collate specific data without consent may save lives, it said.
But, opt-in environments work as well, Evans added.
“We need to create an environment for a new industry of personal data management which will re-establish the positive social contract between businesses and consumers, putting an end to the war,” he said. “The UK is uniquely placed to lead this new industry of data sharing. Individual data needs to be put under individual control in a way that will actually facilitate sharing and make a positive impact on society. In the same way banks protect our finances and facilitate our transactions we need personal data ‘banks’ which can protect and get the best deal for our data.”
BCS surveys indicate that two-thirds of the population in the UK will share data if there is some perceived benefit. For example, music streaming services already use profiles to suggest music.
“As we see on an almost daily basis, the threat of harm from sharing data has the potential to negatively affect consumers’ experience; this will only continue to rise with the growth of the internet of things which will increase the amount of data being generated,” Evans said. “Information security expertise does not protect individuals from mindless behavior on the part of others. Like it or not, choosing not to share your data means individuals are opting not to participate in society. However, if used effectively the sharing of data can ultimately benefit everyone involved.”