This month in data – April 2021

Each month we compile the best stories in data. Get up to speed on this month in data without having to search for it.

The world of data in 2022

Want to peek a year into the future? Where governments and economies have been aligned around new data principles, and your digital life is controlled and regulated by a number of different digital coalitions? Then check out this essay, written from the perspective of someone living a year from now – and take a look at a future of our data that’s both exhilarating and challenging.

THE TAKEAWAY:

“The data coalition era is neither a techno-utopia nor a Luddite fever-dream. It is simply a new political-economic settlement with a more reasonable synthesis of competing interests, better incentives and a less alarming concentration of power in Silicon Valley.”

Data sharing can shape a better future

A philosophy we’d agree with. The World Economic Forum is exploring ways that data sharing could be used to improve our lives, and obviously solving disease outbreaks is at the top of the list. Alongside that: creating better tourism outcomes? Who knew. In any case, check out these six ways they think data can make the world a better place.

THE TAKEAWAY:

“Public and private stakeholders can integrate their data sets and leverage big data and digital platforms to allow real-time tracking of the supply and demand for destination tourism resources, leading to interventions that enable the sustainable, inclusive and resilient development of the tourism industry.”

Preparing for the next pandemic

We’ve spent a lot of time over the past year talking about how data helped solve a number of issues related to COVID19, but what about the next pandemic? Scientific American looks at the ways real-world data can help, and specifically takes a look at how Israel implemented its vaccination campaign. 

THE TAKEAWAY:

“These measures represent just the basics of what policy makers can do to inform real-time insights. And the benefits need not be used just for pandemic preparedness; mining and analyzing de-identified data could be used to identify effective strategies for fighting any number of conditions, from mental health concerns to chronic illnesses.”

The EU takes a stab at regulating AI

In the race to understand AI, Europe may not be as far along as a nation like China, but the continent’s governance models might well be the most stringent in the world right now. The EU has unveiled new rules to regulate the use of AI across 27 member countries, Among the new rules: a massive requirement to create thorough documentation for every possible use. 

THE TAKEAWAY:

“The EU rules impose necessities on “high-risk” functions of AI, together with medical units and tools. Firms growing them must use “high-quality” coaching information to keep away from bias, conform to “human oversight,” and create detailed documentation that explains how the software program works to each regulators and customers.”

Speaking of Europe…

Facebook is in trouble there. Again. This time over the massive data leak that revealed information of more than 500 million people. Not that Facebook really cares, as CPO Magazine points out: a separate data leak of emails within the company shows it’s not worrying too much about the legal action. Funny how that works.

THE TAKEAWAY:

“Though Facebook is actively downplaying the looming legal action, Tony Pepper (CEO at Egress) believes that this case could end up having serious repercussions: “Due to the scale of the incident, this latest case against Facebook could prove incredibly costly and will undoubtedly send shockwaves across the tech industry and beyond.”

Brazil adds protection to open banking

In a similar move to Australia, Brazil is charging forward with open banking rules. Now the country has added a number of rights and protections to users under the scheme, particularly around consent and authorization. With more countries adopting this approach, how long until an open banking system actually goes global?

THE TAKEAWAY:

“Under the next phase, which starts in July, participants will start sharing customer data, with their consent. This will be followed by the third phase, which kicks off in August, where consumers will be able to pay bills and make money transfers outside their bank’s environment.”

That’s our wrap for this month. Thanks for reading – we hope you found it entertaining and informational. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these articles and anything else data related! Email us anytime at enquiries@datarepublic.com!