FACT: What is your data worth?

Really interesting study that looks at how much ($$) we value our information in a 3 tier format. Apparently, folks at frog design do not think that online reputation defense will be a money maker. http://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/what039s-your-personal-data-worth.html

HUNCH: Lack of Personal Economy Structure...

...leads to lack of trust. 

What's interesting about the Personal Data Economy is that it has arrived and there are no guidelines, no structure on how to handle such massive quantities of information. What has resulted is an overarching sense of suspicion from users.

What if companies (or the government) had structured this economy from the beginning? My hunch is that much of the distrust and fear surrounding Personal Data would be significantly lower, perhaps non-existent. This industry could be truly thriving if there had been a thoughtful and consistent approach to establishing a personal data economy. Instead, companies have run amok, rules and regulations have been hazy and people are scared off. The personal info economy as an industry is tarnished - building people's trust and sense of control will take a long time.

FACT: $2 for your soul

According to this article,  the Intelius website you can learn (for free) where someone works, a list of their relatives, where they went to college, and where they've lived. Two bucks gets you their birth date and address.

Typed in my name to see if it's true and it is. It correctly listed my information, including the last 3 cities I've lived in.

HUNCH: Donate your Data

We discussed medical records in class and I was left thinking about people who donate their bodies to science posthumously. Would people be willing to share (sell or even donate?) their health information? My guess is yes. This is essentially a living version of organ donation. It's the sharing of electronic records as opposed to physical matter. It's much easier in a sense to click 'share' on the computer, than it is to mail a saliva sample to a lab. The GigaOm report touches on this quite a bit...but I would be curious to explore beyond medical records. 

What if a human health report included the participant's taste in food? Their daily diet? Their purchases of alchohol and tobacco? Records of where they ran or for how long they went to the gym?A detailed look at how many people cope with illnesses or simply stay healthy over the course of their lives would only enrich basic health record information.

DON'T KNOW

• Don't fully understand the policies surrounding information sharing and privacy settings. This seems to differ country to country.
• How successful are sites, like Allow, that pay users for our data? How would we measure this success? Monetarily? Popularity?
• Google Analytics and 'paid-for' analytics tool for enterprise level - the same? different? http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2011/02/04/google-poised-launch-new-enterprise-level-paid-analytics-tool
• How does our info sharing compare to Europe's? Asia's?

HUNCH: How much do we care?

After reading 'The Personal Information Economy' a few thoughts come to mind. How much do people really truly care about the amount of 'personal' info being shared and/or sold? My hunch is that (assuming users know their information is being sold or purchased) people care very little and when they do it's in regards to information they define as private or confidential.

FACT: Not in Norway

• Norway is trying to ban Google Analytics. As part of this they would need to anonoymise  IP addresses meaning - which essentially means Google won't know which countries their users are living in. http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2012/08/21/google-analytics-faces-norway-ban