Today’s blog post theme isn’t so much about the specific items mentioned in these articles as it is about the general availability of data. When we think about data protections, it’s helpful for us to remember the context in which to think about confidentiality.
First, here’s an article about how the intelligence community uses smartphone data without a warrant. The appropriateness of such use is a discussion for some other blog; what struck us about this article is confirmation that there are large datasets of smartphone data out there available for people to access, and they are for sale. (We recently attended a conference talk about a similar topic, where a researcher described her use of cell phone data. She indicated that because of the differences in systems, Android phones yield more personal information than Apple phones do. Make of that what you will.) While such datasets currently are not readily identifiable, who knows what technology will allow us to do in the future?
And here are article about California legislation intended to give consumers some control over their data. One is from the New York Times and the other is from the Washington Post. As the latter puts it, “These days, a wild range of companies gather and sell your data, from Ford and Chipotle to Uber and Walmart. Now the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) gives you the power to say cut it out.” It’s also worth noting parts of the CCPA apply to people who aren’t in California.
If you have trouble accessing any of the linked articles, please contact the IRB Blog Central Reference Division at paalediths@uams.edu.