If you have the misfortune of sitting within a metre radius of me, you’ll know of my disdain for being tracked. It's a conflict I feel each time my Apple Watch reminds me I've been sitting at my desk too long, and every time I swipe my Opal transport card. Sure, it gets me from A to B without the need for paper tickets or people holding up the line, but it's also tracking everywhere I go.
Before you say, “But Sarah, you already have a licence and a passport, and there are cameras on every street corner”, and point out that I chose a smartwatch – yes, I am willing to wear that. Yet still, I couldn't help but feel a data-themed panic coming on when I heard about the latest data super alliance to hit the news.
The deal Facebook inked with not one, but three massive data providers to usher in the new wave of targeting on the platform is big, and it's smart. Offline data from Quantium, Acxiom and Experian are now being combined with Facebook's online data.
It's great for Facebook's advertisers and should lead to a whole new level of targeting, but what does it mean for consumers and for other media players? It's blown other recent data partnerships – such as Foxtel and MCN's own deal with Quantium – out of the water, and demonstrates Facebook's ability to dominate. The impact of that is far-reaching.
Facebook was quick to reassure people that all the data it collects and pairs with third-party players is anonymous.
However, with data becoming the new currency, there also comes the rise and the risk of people trying to take control of that data.
On the same day the data new world order surfaced, universally hated adultery site Ashley Madison was hacked, leaving over 30 million accounts vulnerable. It's thought the hackers obtained a raft of personal information, including customers' addresses, secret sexual fantasies and matching credit card transactions.
No small leak. Now, I’m not suggesting that Facebook and Ashley Madison have comparable data security, still, it's something to think about. But it’s all part of the same big data dichotomy. Every time you swipe a transport card, a Woolworths Everyday Rewards card, or when you use the 'private' Facebook messenger app, data is being collected and, in some cases, used for someone else’s gain.
Does the average user even realise this? It's something that I struggle to get my head around, as a consumer. At what point did it become okay for businesses to profit from a person's personal information? And is there any way back?
Data and knowledge make things better, but maybe there should be more scepticism around just exactly what we are giving up and who we are giving the power to.