The common maxim today is that the information about people’s buying habits, where they travel, shop, browse and suchlike, is the oil that fuels the digital economy.
The images people upload onto social media train machines to be smarter, the questions they ask Google uncover their fears, desires and prejudices, and the location history on their mobile devices tell investors which locations yield the highest foot traffic.
Even the most routine daily activities generate floods of data that businesses eagerly gather and store for future use.
Nicole Adriaans, divisional head for data and analytics at iOCO will is presenting on “The impact of data on humans”, at the ITWeb Business Intelligence Summit 2022, to be held from 8 to 10 March, at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton, and online.
She says most people do not understand where and how their data is being used.
“In reality, the data we willingly give away each day in exchange for 'free' services such as Facebook and Google, is used by third parties for various purposes,” she adds. “Sometimes it is used for highly targeted advertising, other times, for analytical research which enables marketers to learn more about us and our habits.”
Unfortunately, Adriaans says it has also been used for nefarious purposes, such as influencing political outcomes, creating conflict, and enabling bad actors to socially engineer people more effectively.
During her presentation, she will discuss why we should be more careful about what we give away for free, and how we give it. In addition, Adriaans will unpack what can be done to educate the next generation to be cautious about what they share, as well as how data can be used as an asset, and how it can be prevented from becoming a liability.
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