Collective data rights can stop big tech from obliterating privacy

Whether we're aware of it or not, every person engaged with the modern world is constantly creating data - whether that’s energy readings on our thermostats, video feeds from our doorbells, or our GPS routes - and corporations are eager to take advantage of it. But it's not our individual data that they care about. The real value lies in the inferences drawn from our interactions, which are also stored on our devices. 

The issue is that our current data-related laws focus too heavily on individual consent and privacy, but protecting individual data isn’t enough when the harm is collective. Both the data and the algorithms need to be regulated. 

In his latest opinion piece for MIT Technology Review, Martin Tisné argues for the need for governments to create laws and policies to stop technology from obliterating privacy.