Discussion on Own, Shared, and Collective Data in Podcast Format
In a series of speeches delivered in Norway during February 2020, Christina Colclough, a renowned advocate for data rights and digital ethics, discussed the importance of reclaiming rights for people and the planet. The meetings, organised by the Trade Campaign - Network for Fair and Democratic Trade Policy, involved various organisations such as trade unions, farmer organisations, environmental groups, solidarity groups, and development organisations.
During her talks, Colclough emphasised the need for a new digital ethos that protects human rights, our right to be human, and our democracies. She cautioned against the overuse of the term "smart" devices, suggesting instead that they should be referred to as "surveillance" devices. This perspective stems from her belief that our use of credit cards, social media, and mobile devices creates and gives away data that feeds into massive data sets and is used to make inferences about us.
These inferences can determine our purchasing habits, employment status, health, location, political leanings, and potential influenceability. Colclough argues that this level of profiling and shaping is not insignificant; it is all about creating a personalized and controlled digital environment.
Interestingly, the meetings did not discuss specific new digital ethos, privacy concerns, or the need to object to surveillance in the context of smart devices. Nor did they mention Colclough's advocacy for a new digital ethos in her podcast discussion at Kulturhuset in Oslo, February 2020.
The podcast, recorded at a debate meeting at Kulturhuset, discussed the need to be critical towards massive surveillance and monitoring, particularly in the context of work and citizenship. Hans Martin Aase, a member of The Trade Union, and Geir Aasen, Associate Secretary in the EL and IT Union in Norway, were present at the meeting, among others.
According to Colclough, we have been sold convenience in the form of online shopping, voice commands, and easy access to information. However, this convenience comes at a cost of privacy and personal data. She did not discuss the creation and giving away of data through credit cards, social media, and mobile devices during her talks, nor did the meetings touch upon the goal of data collection to profile individuals and shape the world available to them.
Despite the absence of specific details in the search results, Colclough's advocacy for a new digital ethos and her stance on the renaming of smart devices as surveillance devices remain significant in the ongoing conversation about data privacy and digital ethics.
- The meetings, organized by the Trade Campaign, did not discuss or object to the use of the term "smart" devices, with advocate Christina Colclough suggesting they should instead be referred to as "surveillance" devices.
- In her discussions, Colclough highlighted the potential risks of our data, collected through credit cards, social media, and mobile devices, being used to make inferences about our health, purchasing habits, employment status, location, political leanings, and potential influenceability.
- Despite the absence of detailed discussions on a new digital ethos or privacy concerns in the speeches, Colclough's advocacy for a new digital ethos and her stance on renaming 'smart' devices as 'surveillance' devices are important contributions to the ongoing debate about data privacy and digital ethics.
- The podcast discussion at Kulturhuset, where Hans Martin Aase and Geir Aasen were present, provocatively raised concerns about massive surveillance and monitoring in the context of work and citizenship, a topic related to Colclough's advocacy for a new digital ethos.
