This month in data – July 2020

Data is an incredibly powerful weapon in the global fight against COVID-19. We’ve collected the best resources and insights to help businesses take practical steps during this trying time.

Australia debuts the Consumer Data Right

After years of planning, Australia debuted the Consumer Data Right in July. It’s a big win for consumers, but as the Australian Computer Society points out, it’s a win for everyone else too. And now the energy industry has its sights set on what the new right will mean for companies in that space. Short story? The future of privacy in Australia is now tied to this project.

THE TAKEAWAY:

“Whatever changes come, ensuring privacy and security are maintained will be crucial: the ABA, for one, has flagged the importance of ongoing Privacy Impact Assessments and noted that “any changes to the CDR regime [are] likely to have a significant impact on the privacy of individuals”.”

Europe kills US data sharing deal

The Europeans and Americans have been fighting over digital topics for decades now, but this is a new blow. The European Union has ruled that American companies can’t use information protocols that transfer information on EU citizens to the States. Why? Because they can’t promise those protocols won’t be used to order surveillance programs. This is a huge blow to the States, but more importantly, it highlights just how messy international politics can be – and will be – as we navigate data across borders. 

THE TAKEAWAY:

“In their ruling, though, the judges of the EU’s top court, the Court of Justice, suggest they’re not convinced any privacy agreements can keep the personal data of EU citizens safe from American surveillance, so long as it’s processed in the US under the country’s current laws.”

COVID-19 data sharing gets a little easier…

The past six months have seen huge efforts from healthcare providers and other organizations to share information. But as HealthcareITNews points out, there’s been a huge leap in that effort. An alliance of health organizations has created a standard set of principles of sharing COVID-19 data. Not only do the principles (signed on by more than 600 organizations) agree to timely sharing, they also agree to a keen eye on governance. 

THE TAKEAWAY:

“The report shows how the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus “has prompted a rapid and massive research response with a diversity of outputs that pose a challenge to interoperability”.”

Is data oil? No – it’s gold

So, put one analogy aside and pick up another. The World Economic Forum is now saying data is more like gold, rather than oil. It actually makes sense when you consider it like this: raw data needs to be mined and honed to be useful. To that end, the WEF says companies need to start adopting four new models for getting value out of information. We’d encourage you to check them out for yourself. 

THE TAKEAWAY:

“Companies that demonstrate leadership in such models and practices not only create new opportunities, but establish trusted relationships with customers and build sustainable value. New partnerships leverage complementary strengths while protecting the core, and governments can be proactively supported in their goal to protect consumers.”

Consumers still nervous about data sharing

And why shouldn’t they be? According to a new survey from Adobe, three quarters of people say they’re happy sharing their data, but companies aren’t doing the right thing. They’re saying they’ll do one thing with the data, then do another. If data is gold, customers simply aren’t going to tolerate businesses that use it in the wrong way – especially when they can choose an increasingly large number of businesses who are doing the right thing. 

THE TAKEAWAY:

“While an overall 50% of consumers said they were comfortable sharing their full names, 82% of companies were collecting them, the survey revealed. In addition, only 25% of consumers said they were comfortable sharing their phone numbers, yet 75% of companies were collecting them.”

That’s our wrap for this month. Thanks for reading – we hope you found it entertaining and informative. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these articles and anything else data related!

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