
Image: A piece of "data art" by Refik Anadol, which transforms the 'movements' that take place in the act of remembering in the brain into algorithms via a sensor developed at the neurology laboratories at University of California. Read more
While interviewing Immaculata De Vivio & Peter Kraft, I was interested to hear Prof Goodman speak on the 'unanticipated combinations' of data being a key focus of concern with regards to privacy and security. I hadn't thought before about the specific relevance of data intersections that are 'unanticipated', and the inherent difficulty that would arise in terms of data-sharing consents and maintaining privacy. This is particularly interesting given the huge amount of data that is collected by private companies regarding intimate details of our health and lifestyle choices; and particularly poignant given the use of such technologies in countries without strong data protection laws to restrict the spread of COVID-19 (i.e. China), at the expense of privacy.
(To really escalate this idea into a slightly unrealistic proposal, I guess the best data-sets and highest privacy level might potentially be achieved by a supranational, 'apolitical' public health body dedicated to collecting and sharing data on a large scale while maintaining state-secret level of privacy???)
(Just have to add that I’m a fan of Refik Anadol... may even work with him soon...wondering how you came across his data-driven artwork!?)