Online personal data has in the recent past become the epicenter of commerce in regard to data brokers. This is illustrated by the growth in data mining companies such as Acxiom. The growth in the trading of data is attributed to the growth in demand for such data by private entities and government agencies among others. While the mining and commercialization of data is not a secret undertaking, many individuals are oblivious to this fact. This is illustrated by the vast amount of data points that people post online. Such data points include birth dates, sex, relationship status, credit card numbers, and shopping preferences among others. It is for this reason that the game Data Dealer was created by web developers in Austria. The intention of the game is to create awareness on the extent and the intrigues behind the business of profiling and exchanging consumer data. The game allows a player to sell or buy various data points. Data Dealer therefore helps a player become aware of the kinds of personal data that exist and the implications of commercializing such data and how it relates to privacy concerns.
Before addressing the implications of posting and sharing personal data on the internet, it is important to have a look at how the game works. A player takes the role of a data dealer. The aim is then to collect as much online information about an individual as possible. The information can be mined from various sources such as social media, dating sites, health records, personality tests, and loyalty programs among others. In the game, mining of data is done through the identification of patterns by analyzing various data points such as names, phone numbers, and postal addresses among others, which ultimately assists the data dealer to create fictitious profiles of individuals. The data dealer can then monetize the information by selling it government agencies, private entities, and other data dealers. However, the data dealers do not have a free hand to do as they wish; they have to constantly evaluate their risk levels to ensure that they are not excessively exposed. Entities and interest groups that increase the risk to data dealers include citizens that may raise concerns about privacy, the media, and government agencies.
Data Dealer addresses the negative implication of posting and sharing personal information online without taking due precautions. It achieves this by illustrating that the illusion of privacy created by organizations and online sites does not exist in reality (O’Neil, 20). An example is given by analyzing the working of an online dating site. While the subscriber of such a site may deem it private and confidential, a data dealer can make a deal with individuals connected to such organizations to pass on information which then when adequately mined may reveal a precise profile of an individual. Supposedly confidential medical records can also be bought by data dealers from dishonest employees as exemplified by Nurse Mildred in the game.
Apart from the false illusion of privacy that exists online, identity theft is a new phenomenon. By procuring information such as birth dates, names, social security numbers and personality test profiles, identity thieves can proceed to conduct crime such as fraud and other legal and illegal activities through pretense. Such an act may have profound negative effects on the individual whose identity has been stolen. Data Dealer therefore seeks to create awareness on how such personal information can be obtained. While many individuals might have the impression that the personal information given online is too disintegrated to expose them, the game illustrates the wide extent of the ecosystem of personal data in the online space. As a result, the seemingly disintegrated personal information can be aggregated to create a complete personal profile. It is therefore the case that what one posts on a dating site, they may end up creating a point of connection to a marketing company and vice versa.
The efficacy of the game in creating awareness on the ecosystem of online personal data is commendable. While it is easy to just let people know of the dangers of posting and sharing personal data online, it is highly unlikely that people will take such concerns seriously. However, Data Dealer effectively deals with this problem by creating a visual presentation of the online ecosystem as opposed to merely a verbal or written presentation that may not resonate well with many individuals (O’Neil, 22). By playing the game, an individual gains an abstract understanding of the intricacies of online personal data through an almost real life interface. As a result, one is able to have an enhanced sense of awareness on the same.
The letter and spirit of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) was to protect online personal data from exploitation by government agencies, private corporations, and data dealers without the consent of an individual whose data is being mined. While the law recognizes that the mining and dealing of data is inevitable given the rapid evolution of technology, its central theme is that the owners of such data should give consent before that data is exploited for commercial or other purposes. However, that is not always the case.
The ineffectiveness of the PIPEDA law is as a result of a number of factors. First, the vast amount of personal data that is uploaded online makes it difficult to police the actions of data dealers and organizations. Christl, Winter & Schweizer estimate that as of 2012, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data was uploaded on the internet every day (5). To police such would require massive resources that the Canadian government may not have access to in the present time. Secondly, as illustrated by the game, despite the good intentions of the law there are always those that will be inclined to circumvent it as is the case with hackers. In the game, hackers are a valuable source of data. The law also gives exceptions to some organizations in terms of accessing personal data without the need to have consent. Some of the exceptional circumstances include when information on the next of kin is required, or when information the information is required in order to enforce the law or conduct an investigation. In the event that the information is useful for the maintenance of national security, it may be acquired without consent (Legislative Services Branch). Some of the exceptions also extend to private organizations. However, while some of the exemptions may be justified, they may be prone to abuse as illustrated in the game where public and private agencies that have been tasked with protecting such personal data take part in its commercialization. The reach of the law does not also extend to social media where personal information can be easily acquired without the need for consent. It is therefore the case that in light of the above, the law is not up to date with the latest trends in the online space and does such it would require periodic reviews if it is to address the issue of privacy effectively (Krasnova and Kift).
In my view, Data Dealer gives an accurate representation of the issues that arise on online privacy. To begin with, the vast amounts of data that are collected by the various organizations that individuals engage with cannot be purely be for altruistic reasons. Such organizations must surely have a means of converting such information to be meaningful to them in relation to the business bottom line. Furthermore, it is difficult for individuals to realize the extent of the abuse of their personal data. This is because such data is not directly mined from the individuals but rather through organizations that have been entrusted to keep the data on behalf of the individuals. This is illustrated by the game in which transfers of data take place from organizations such as dating sites, businesses with loyalty programs as well as education and health institutions through dishonest employees. The game also paints an accurate picture of the online ecosystem including activists who pretend to be in favor of the right to privacy yet their only intention is to expose the data dealers with the intention of getting kickbacks for their silence. The money-making potential of such activism is illustrated by the mushrooming of numerous privacy activism groups in Canada.
There are certainly some improvements that the creators of the game can undertake especially from an image point of view. The game gives rewards to a data dealer for engaging in unethical conduct. It may serve to encourage others who instead of viewing the downside to the phenomenon of data mining and dealing, may view it as a business opportunity. Secondly, the game does not capture the whole spectrum of players in the data mining industry. It has focused too much on the body corporate while ignoring the role played by individuals such as those spying on their spouses.
Ultimately, the game is successful in terms of creating awareness of the implications of sharing and posting personal data online. It provides such an education in a way that is fun regardless of the improvements that it requires. There is also need to have a rethink of the regulatory regime to ensure that it is always up to date with the evolution of the online space (Krasnova and Kift). Such a rethink is necessary if the deficiency illustrated by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act is to be eliminated.
Works Cited
"Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (S.C. 2000, c. 5)." Legislative
Services Branch. N.p., 1 Apr. 2011. Web. Retrieved June 17, 2016 from <http://laws-
lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/P-8.6/page-1.html>.
Krasnova, Hanna & Kift Paula. Online privacy concerns and legal assurance: A user
perspective. Internet Policy Review, 2013 2(1). DOI: 10.14763/2013.1.107 Retrieved June 17, 2016 from http://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/online-privacy-concerns-and-legal-assurance-user-perspective
O’Neil, Dara. Analysis of Internet Users’ Level of Online Privacy Concerns. Social Science
Computer Review Spring 2001 vol. 19 no. 1 17-31. Print
Wolfie Christl, Renee Winter, Barbara Schweinzer. “Collecting, Collating, and Selling Personal
Data: Background Information and Research.” DataDealer. 6 May. 2013. Web. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
