The new governor of the state of California, Gavin Newsom, stated he is to propose a “digital dividend” which would see consumers be paid for their data which is used by the major tech firms. During his “State of the State” talk, which took place on Tuesday, Newsom stated companies that make billions of dollars “collecting, curating and monetizing our personal data have a duty to protect it. Consumers have a right to know and control how their data is being used.”
https://twitter.com/Bill_Bruner/status/1096007263553183744
Jonathan Deveaux, Head of Enterprise Data Protection at comforte AG:
“It’s refreshing to hear the new California Governor comment on the responsibility of data protection. Understanding his suggestion that companies have a duty to protect personal data is a positive message, especially in times where the number of data records lost to data breaches, and exposures are at an all-time high.
Sharing in “the wealth that is created” by personal data is a bold concept and may have some not so good consequences. Some studies show users are spending more and more time on their devices than in previous years. You can catch a subway train, or walk down busy streets – people are staring at their mobile devices. What will be in the impact of this should people now have access to the “digital dividend” based on their personal data? Texting while driving is already a huge concern – will this risk increase as well? If there’s a way to share in the revenue stream created for our own data, that’s great. But we also need to be aware of the unintended consequences of doing so, and how they may impact society today.”
