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Data Republic wins a $22 million boost
Look, it’s nearly Christmas – let us brag a little okay? We recently completed a $22 million Series B funding round led by Singtel Innov8, but the real news is in the future. Singapore and Australia are on the cutting edge of data governance tools, and this money will help us shape it. With open banking on the horizon, this region could be a world leader in how the world views data in the 21st century.
THE TAKEAWAY:
“The challenge is as data becomes more open it becomes more shared, and that then requires governance and technology. Both countries are supportive of an ecosystem combining for the social good and an economic outcome.”
This UK exhibition wants to change your mind about privacy
There’s quite a lot of talk about data sharing – and you know, all the hacks. It makes it seem as though sharing your data inevitably ends up in a bad place. But, Can of Worms, a new exhibition in the UK associated with Imperial College and St Mary’s wants to show you how data can improve your life: complete with anecdotes about AI helping treat cancer.
THE TAKEAWAY:
“Presented in openable tin cans, you can listen to how an AI trained on anonymous patient data helped identify a misdiagnosis and save someone’s life. Or another story using data to bust the myths around breastfeeding or combat cyberbullying.”
Ford, Uber and Lyft are gonna play nice
Hooray! The three companies will share more information as part of a deal with the National Association of City Transportation Officials. Transportation providers and cities can use the information to help plan better, but the real gain is in sharing data across cities – which have typically had fairly opaque restrictions.
THE TAKEAWAY:
“The curb data from Ford Motor Company, Uber and Lyft can also be used by city leaders to understand where for-hire vehicle trips are in the greatest demand. The goal is to reduce congestion, make curbsides more innovative and efficient and better serve pedestrians and bicyclists, too…”
Six months after GDPR, where are we?
Can you believe it’s been 6 months? But six months after everyone else did, How’s everyone going? Techradar talked to an expert to find out: 70% of companies recently failed to address GDPR regulations if a user requested their data, many aren’t taking the regulations seriously, and…companies outside the EU are actually more compliant!
THE TAKEAWAY:
“When drilling down into the results, the research suggests that businesses that started out offline, and those that are hindered by legacy systems, may find GDPR compliance more challenging than more nimble ‘born in the cloud’ organisations.”
China’s advantage? All the information…
The tech race between China and the rest of the world has been covered extensively, but less appreciated is its advantage: a sheer avalanche of data. A recent CNBC conference saw attendees cite this over, and over again. The social credit system may be criticised for invading privacy, but it’s also building up huge advantages for building fintech and other services.
THE TAKEAWAY:
“According to the China Internet Report, created by 500 Startups’ Yeung, Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu have invested in over 400 companies combined. That means almost all the big data is controlled by industry heavyweights, making it very difficult for small start-ups to get hold of that data.”
That’s our wrap for this week. 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!
Until next week,
Team Data Republic