Issue 27: You Should Get Paid for Your Data
Welcome to Backstory, a weekly newsletter turning global technology shifts into a three-minute read. This week, we consider what would happen if internet users got paid for their data – Joseph Dana, Senior Editor
THE BIG TAKE
You Should Get Paid for Your Data
Between the data scandals at technology giants and growing concern about how much time we spend online, the internet feels like it needs a little fixing. It’s tough to know where to begin with all the ideas and proposals out there. This week we got excited about one particular proposal that’s radical in its simplicity. What would happen if we paid for internet services like social media and, in return, got paid for our data?
Free services: With the boom of social media platforms in the mid-2000s, free services came to dominate the internet. From Gmail to Myspace, vital platforms used by millions daily to stay connected, work, and explore were offered without charge. But there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Users pay with their data, which, in turn, enables advanced algorithms to track and analyse user behavior for advertising. Isn’t it remarkable that social media companies offering free services, such as Facebook, have become multi-billion dollar companies?
Knowledge at home: Jaron Lanier, a dreadlocked futurist and early virtual reality pioneer, has a bold proposal to transform the internet. In an engaging three-part series for The New York Times, Lanier argues that users should be paid for their data and internet platforms shouldn’t be free. Over the past three decades, users acquiesced to a system of data collection by private companies without being aware of its scale and use. Today, we don’t understand the value of our data. If we change this dynamic, we can create a better internet.
Will it work? Our reality is one in which private companies control our data and, by doing so, control the future of advanced technology such as artificial intelligence (AI). Those who create the data required to drive technology forward need to be better integrated into the system. Governments can help with smart regulation to deliver bold new ideas to drive the change we need. Lanier’s ideas aren’t without their flaws but the basic concept got us so excited that we decided to take a deep dive into his strategy. A better internet is possible.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The most important thing about technology is how it changes people."
Jaron Lanier, Futurist
OUR VIEWS THIS WEEK
To the stars: Last week, the UAE joined an elite club of nations that have sent people to space. Hazza Al Mansouri, the UAE’s first astronaut, is still on the International Space Station conducting vital research on microgravity. His remarkable trip is the culmination of years of hard work in building the UAE Space Agency and demonstrates the growth of the country’s knowledge ecosystem. This week, we reviewed the trajectory of the country’s space programmeand how going to space will have the biggest impact back at home.
Promise and peril of AI in the arts: Will AI change the way we create and engage with art? The short answer is yes. In the first of two pieces on the subject from the archive, we explore the effect AI will have on the very human endeavour of wrestling with ideas to create art. Ultimately, we conclude, AI’s relationship with art is positive insofar as it advances society’s artistic production.
SPOTTED ELSEWHERE
Blockchain for pasta: Our minds can be so rigid when it comes to technology. Consider record keeping applications of blockchain technology. It’s natural to envision financial records on a blockchain but what about pasta? According to Professional Pasta, a trade publication for the pasta industry, blockchain is slowly being rolled out across the global pasta industry. Some major pasta manufacturers are moving their catalogues to blockchains and using technology to help their international operations. With all those wild pasta shapes out there, this is a brilliant idea.
Virtual businesses: We are big fans of Estonia’s approach to business in the digital age. Years ago, the government established a virtual business licence and residency programme that enables entrepreneurs anywhere in the world to establish an Estonian business entirely online. A version of the model is now coming to Dubai and it will have an incredible impact on the entrepreneurial map of the Middle East and beyond. Stay tuned for a deep dive on how this development will have a positive impact on the Emirate’s knowledge-based economy.
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