20 years ago, who could predict how much more researchers would know today about the human past – let alone what they could learn from a thimble of dirt, a scrape of dental plaque, or satellites in space.
China’s social credit system has been described as a ‘dystopian nightmare straight out of Black Mirror’ but many citizens think it will help fight fraud and bring about a better society.
Personal data is valued primarily because data can be turned into a private asset. That has significant implications for political and societal choices.
Health-care providers are increasingly relying on large data sets to deliver services. However, Small Data approaches provide nuance and context, and in some instances can be more beneficial.
Data analytics have played a role in elections for years. But today’s massive voter relationship management platforms use digital campaigning practices to take it to another level.
The government has breached the public’s trust and its own privacy policy by using Medicare data about Australians’ prescribing habits to recruit participants for a study.
Companies scrutinise our online likes, dislikes, searches and purchases to produce data that can be used commercially. And it’s often done without us understanding the full extent of the surveillance.
Sae Chi, The University of Western Australia and Linda Robson, The University of Western Australia
We have learnt to be wary of big data, but it can also be your friend: one platform combines and analyses data about housing, jobs and transport to reveal very useful information about living in Perth.
Big tech companies compete over who can gather the most intelligence on their users. Countries like Russia and China turn this information against their citizens.