International. The personal data available to the platforms and social networks we use have a quantifiable value. This was revealed by operations such as the one carried out five years ago by Facebook, when it bought the WhatsApp application for more than 21,800 million dollars, or the one that Google closed a few years earlier, when it acquired YouTube for 1,650 million dollars.
According to experts, neither Facebook nor Google disbursed these amounts for the technological structure of these platforms: "what really had value was the number of users they had behind them," explains Eduard Blasi, professor of the postgraduate course in Data Protection at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC).
There are no official figures regarding the exact value of all personal data circulating on the Internet, but some investigations – such as the one carried out two years ago by the British company Experian – have brought to light that a global profile that includes a person's financial data, those of access to their PayPal and Amazon account and those of their profiles on social networks is sold on the so-called dark web ( dark web), the black market of the internet, for about $1,063.
"The reality is that everything comes at a price, even on the internet," Blasi says. "Sometimes we make a mistake when we think that, for example, an application or software should be free for the mere fact that it is intangible, without considering the costs behind servers, technical structure, personnel who update the systems, etc. The reality is that in the internet ecosystem if we do not pay it directly we end up paying indirectly with our data or even metadata. The belief that everything is free is a utopia," he explains.
In the opinion of specialists, Internet products and services should be more transparent. "What the legislation seeks when regulating data protection is ultimately to give the power of control and disposition of the data to the user, so that he has the possibility of knowing exactly what data he has on each site and being able to withdraw those that he deems appropriate at any time.
But in practice it is difficult to exercise absolute control of the data, especially on free platforms. However, the incorporation of privacy principles in the design and by default of the new European regulation will undoubtedly facilitate the user to regain this control over their data, "says Professor Eduard Blasi.
Data: the basis of advertising and the digital revolution
Why is our data essential? For Sergio de Juan-Creix, professor of Law at the UOC's Degree in Communication and an expert in digital law, personal data are "the gasoline of the XXI century: on the one hand, digital advertising has become sophisticated with the analysis of the profile of users, allowing them to teledirect advertising to a specific audience so that it becomes more effective", Explains. Today, advertising is the spearhead of the consumer society of the Western world. On the other hand, he adds, the digital revolution needs the exchange of data to work because without them it will be impossible to create more sustainable cities or launch the autonomous car, not to mention facing the challenge of artificial intelligence.
Therefore, it considers that it is necessary for users to have greater control over their data to make informed decisions and that they can be participants in both the benefits of advertising and the digital revolution. "If a large company enriches itself with my data, it stands to reason that it wants a share of the profits or at least receive some service or advantage in return. In the same way that if my data is used for a sustainability project in my city, I would like to know it so that I can participate with awareness and not have the feeling of being spied on as has happened recently with the study on mobility carried out by the INE, "says Sergio de Juan-Creix.
To which he adds "It is unquestionable that data has economic value, just look at the fact that the world's leading companies are fed by data, while users are prevented from making a profit from them. In addition, the fact that it is a fundamental right should not block the possibility that they had a patrimonial aspect, as is the case for example with image rights, which are also a fundamental right, "he says.
To reverse the situation, the solution would be to empower users: inform them so that they can decide whether or not to participate in a certain initiative that involves the processing of their personal data, and even have the option of being able to receive a consideration for it. "It's about empowering the citizen simply to be informed, because their consent is not always required," explains Sergio de Juan-Creix. "The aim is to make a fairer, more informed and more collaborative society in which all parties, including society as a whole, win," concludes the law professor of the UOC's Communication degree.
Source: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
