The use of online health platforms is on the rise, allowing us to track and share our personal data. While such platforms have promise, significant scientific, ethical and privacy questions remains.
Traditional companies need to embrace high-quality data gathering to avoid being left behind by the next industrial revolution.
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.
Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo
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.
Commuters on the Shanghai Metro all on their smartphones in March, 2019.
Shutterstock/HengLim
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.
Burning invasive, nonnative grasses on federal land at Lower Table Rock, Oregon.
BLM
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.
City rankings have become big business – but this expert thinks it’s best to ignore them.
Using data during election campaigns is nothing new. But as the Canadian federal election approaches, authorities must be diligent that data tracking doesn’t become surveillance.
(Shutterstock)
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.
Data collected by governments is a treasure trove of useful information for researchers.
Shutterstock
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.
Insurance companies collect data from fitness trackers to help improve business decisions.
Shutterstock
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.
Stay away from the tourists traps, economics tells us. Your best bet are those cozy places away from the bustle.
www.shutterstock.com