Re: [projectvrm] The Personal Information Economy

[Kevin Cox < >]

My response is inline in blue.

On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 1:26 PM, T.Rob < " target="_blank"> > wrote:

Kevin,

 

That covers transactional data.  No argument from me.  Both parties get to keep a copy of the data.  What about experiential data? 

 

·        When I buy an LG TV, my, the retailer and LG all share an interest in the purchase.  Does that "connection" justify LG's siphoning off all my interactions with that device?

No - definitely not and neither should the retailer. 

·        I do have an ongoing connection with my utility provider.  Does that give them the right to capture the power signature of the devices running in my home?

No - only if you agree to it 

·        What role does the Internet provider play?  Are they a partner in the "connection"?  Because Internet providers have experimented with tracking technology, which has generally been protested vigorously, and DNS hijacking/page rewriting, which largely has not been protested.

If any data is collected that allows a person to be identified either directly or indirectly then that should not happen without the person's permission.  Most privacy regulations state this. 

 

To think about all of this as transactional, as occurring in real time, as taking place in the context of a live connection, as involving only two parties in even the simplest use cases, or that corporations are or should be on an equal footing with natural persons in rights under the law, is to overlook the depth of what is going on.  And even if someone really is only interested in the transactional bits of this, policy cannot be forged on that basis alone.   

Agree 

 

Also, when someone says "There's (personal) data that wasn't there before" that *cannot* be transactional data because that was *always* there, whether it was captured or not.  What data is new is overwhelmingly experiential data from devices like GPS units and other sensors for which the "connection" between the device purchaser and the device seller has, in the past, all but ended after the purchase but now lives on indefinitely and persistently through your always-connected devices.  This new type of data so exceeds transactional data as to make transactional data almost irrelevant in the conversation.  Nobody cares that Ford knows you bought a car from them.  But they do care that Ford records all the sounds in the car when someone is inside.  What are the "shoulds" here for Ford?  For LG who sell you a TV that phones home?  For the utility company?  How does the "connection" you speak of fit in here?

If you agree to share the data from your device then you need to come to some arrangement with the other party.  These are new transactions in which data you generate or control may is sent to another party.  If it is then it is a new agreement or a codicil to the first agreement.

When we share data there is always another party with whom we share it and they have rights as well.

 

Kind regards,

-- T.Rob

 

 

From: Kevin Cox [mailto: " target="_blank"> ]
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2014 17:25 PM
To: Johannes Ernst
Cc: Alan Mitchell; ProjectVRM list
Subject: Re: [projectvrm] The Personal Information Economy

 

Let us not forget that when a connection is made there are two parties.  Both should share in the benefits of the connection for it to be long lasting and of greater value to both.  

 

Kevin

 

On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 9:16 AM, Johannes Ernst < " target="_blank"> > wrote:

Alan,

 

I really like the way you are framing this. To paraphrase:

 

"There's (personal) data that wasn't there before. The question is who gets to get make money from it: companies who 'take' it or the individuals who create it". It's really easy to understand, and focuses on what -- for me -- is the essence of the problem.

 

It's a bit like there are now dandelions growing all over, and it turns out they have value, so who gets to pick them? And on which land?

 

Cheers,

 

 

Johannes.

 

 

On Mar 4, 2014, at 22:25, Alan Mitchell < " target="_blank"> > wrote:

Whatever we think about VRM as a meme we're entering a Personal Information Economy where an increasing proportion of wealth creation is driven by different uses of personal information.

 

Our society/economy is currently embroiled in a battle over which direction this economy should take.

• large corporations harvesting and monetising data about individuals largely without their knowledge or permission
• individuals managing their own data, acting as the point of integration of data about their own lives, and using this information to configure services around them

The first approach is basically a value extraction model, limited by corporations' ability to monetise data.

 

The second approach is a value creating model, spawning multiple new forms of value creation and related business models.

 

We (Ctrl-Shift) have organised a conference in the UK bringing together policy makers from Government (for example, the UK midata programme to release data back to customers so it can be used for their own purposes), consumer facing organisations that are beginning to 'get it', and innovators making the alternative model happen.

 

If you are in the UK and would like to attend, get in touch with me. I can't promise anything but I'll see what I can do. 

 

Alan

 

 

 

--

Alan Mitchell
Strategy Director, Ctrl-Shift
T6 3rd Floor West Wing 
Somerset House
London, WC2R 1LA

 

Mobile: +44(0)7711 899 784

Office: +44(0)207 759 1057
Skype: alansmitchell

www.ctrl-shift.co.uk
Twitter: 321Ctrlshift

Register now for our event The Personal Information Economy 2014 | March 20 | London