Week 5: Personal data and the digital economy

One of the topics we’ll be covering in this digital economy week is the emerging personal data economy, where individuals are taking control of their own personal data. My research has explored this theme, looking at how individuals can understand, control and benefit from their data through the lenses of business law and technology.

Marketing Week has just released a timely article on the opportunities and threats that arise from these developments. The article is based on a research report I contributed to through Ctrl-Shift, a market analyst and Web Science Institute industry partner who I work with alongside my PhD research.

The report also features a viewpoint from Sir Nigel Shadbolt on the phenomenon of personal data empowerment;

What you hope it isn’t is a massive landgrab of our individual data only for the benefit of the company… Data is an amazing raw material which, if made available in an appropriate way, is going to change the economic and social landscape.

This week we’ll be covering these issues in ‘Personal data in the hands of individuals’. I look forward to discussing them with you.