Vizlib Monday Digest: The dark and bright side of data

Monday, 28 October 2019

The Vizlib Monday Digest is a summary of recent articles about how data changes our lives. We’re sharing it with you to supercharge your week! (Feel free to share your comments!)

Amazon has a chokehold on UK’s cloud-based data. Amazon’s cloud storage subsidiary, Amazon Web Services (AWS), is currently housing more than a third of Britain’s data in the cloud, including sensitive Government information. The security of the data is a growing concern as the rapid growth of AWS begins to resemble an oligopoly. Together with escalating costs and cronyism, AWS appears to leave little control in the hands of the data owners, among whom are the Department of Work and Pensions, the National Crime Agency and NHS Digital. Discover more in The Telegraph’s special report. 

Your data may be on the dark web. Major data breaches put your personal data at risk. Even years after a breach, once it’s no longer trending in the media, your personal information, like passwords and social security details, could be in the hands of hackers on the dark web. Delve deeper here. 

A trip to the DMV could steal your time, as well as your personal data. According to Forbes, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMW) are selling the private information they receive when people register a vehicle or apply for a license. Consumers seem to have little control over what information is collected about them or how it’s used in the USA. The European Union are taking more stringent measures to ensure their citizens’ personal information is protected. Read more here. 

More than 75% of financial and insurance executives are drowning in data. Yet, they’re still looking for more, a recent survey commissioned by TransUnion reveals. Those institutes that remain burdened with fractured data and legacy systems are scrambling to get the talent and technology to remain in the market. Here’s more. 

The value of data is expanding along with its critical place in business. Gartner, VP Analyst, Mike Rollings suggests that IT leaders create a vision for their data-driven enterprise to get the most from their data assets. Learn more about how experts highlight the importance of investing in data and analytics for future resilience by reading on here. 

And to conclude, our quote of the day: “Everything we do in the digital realm—from surfing the web to sending an email to conducting a credit card transaction to, yes, making a phone call—creates a data trail. And if that trail exists, chances are someone is using it—or will be soon enough.”

Douglas Rushkoff, author of Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus.