A new way to think about data is needed
亟需一种全新的方式去思考“数据”
“Data”, runs a common refrain, “is the new oil.” Like the sticky black stuff that comes out of the ground, all those 1s and 0s are of little use until they are processed into something more valuable. That something is you.”
“数据是新的石油“已成老生常谈。像那些地底冒出来的粘稠的黑色液体一样 ，所有1和0在被加工处理成更有价值的“事物”之前毫无用处。而那个“事物”，就是"你"。
Seven of the world’s ten most valuable companies by market capitalisation are technology firms. Excluding Apple, which makes money by selling pricey gadgets, and Microsoft, which charges businesses for its software and services, all are built on a foundation of tying data to human beings. Google and Facebook want to find out as much as it is possible to know about their users’ interests, activities, friends and family. Amazon has a detailed history of consumer behaviour. Tencent and Alibaba are the digital wallets for hundreds of millions of Chinese; both know enough about consumers to provide widely used credit scores.
市场资本化造就的世界10大最有价值公司，7个是技术公司。除了苹果销售昂贵的装置设备，微软售卖软件和服务之外，其他五个都是建立在把数据与人类绑定的基础上。谷歌与Facebook想要尽可能地了解用户的兴趣行为朋友和家庭。亚马逊有巨细无遗的消费者行为历史轨迹。 腾讯和阿里巴巴是过亿中国人的数字钱包；他们对消费者足够了解以致能提供被广泛应用的资信评分。
Where tech companies have blazed a trail, others have followed. Consumer brands in every industry collect data on their customers to improve design and advertise products and services. Governments have looked at these firms and instituted their own systems to gather information on their citizens. Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, cites Facebook as an inspiration. That is apparent in the ever-expanding reach of Aadhaar, an ID system for India’s 1.3bn residents that is required for nearly every government service imaginable.
当技术公司开了先河，其他公司会跟上。各行各业的消费品牌收集用户的信息来提升产品设计和推广广告服务。政府监督着这些技术公司并安装他们自己的系统来收集市民的信息。印度首相Narendra Modi 称Facebook为灵感启发。这一点在涵盖13亿印度人民的ID系统Aadhaar中显而易见。Aadhaar被应用到了几乎能想象到的所有政府服务中，其覆盖人口以及范围仍然在不断扩大。
That data are valuable is increasingly well-understood by individuals, too, not least because personal information is so often hacked, leaked or stolen. India’s database has been shown to be vulnerable to scammers and state abuse. Facebook has spent most of 2018 dealing with the reputational damage of multiple breaches, most notably via Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm. The list of other companies that have suffered some sort of data breach in 2018 alone reads like a roll call of household names: Google, Marriott, Delta, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Best Buy, Sears, Saks 5th Avenue, even Panera Bread. Such events have caused a tectonic shift in the public understanding of data collection. People have started to take notice of all the data they are giving away.
数据的价值也越来越被个人更深刻地理解，尤其当个人信息如此经常被黑，泄露和偷取。印度的数据库已被证明很容易被诈骗和滥用。Facebook把2018年的大部分精力用来处理千仓百孔的数据泄露信用危机，特别是臭名昭著的剑桥分析咨询公司引致的丑闻。 而仅在2018或多或少卷入数据泄露的其他公司名单，就像是一本家喻户晓的品牌点名册：谷歌，Marriott，Delta，英国航空，国泰航空，Best Buy，先施，Saks 5th Avennue，甚至包括Panera Bread面包连锁。这些事件让公众对数据收集的理解彻头彻尾的改变， 人们开始留意他们自己可能会给出去的所有个人数据。
Yet few have changed their online behaviour, boycotted snooping tech firms or exercised what few digital rights they possess. Partly this is because managing your own data is time-consuming and complex, even for those who understand how to do it. But it is also because of a misunderstanding of what is at stake. “Data” is an abstract concept, technical and intangible. Far more solid is the idea of identity. It is only when “data” is understood to mean “people” that individuals will demand accountability from those who seek to know them.
然而很少人因此改变了他们的网上行为，抵制爱窥探隐私的技术公司，或行使为数本就不多的个人数字权利。一部分是由于即使是那些知道如何做的人，管理自己的数据也非常费时并且复杂。另外一部分原因是因为误解，不知道什么至关重要。“数据”是一个抽象的技术性的触摸不到的概念。更具体确切的是身份。只有当“数据”与“人”在理解上等同的时候，人们才会在自己数据被他人索取的时候要求信用验证。
Such accountability stretches far beyond an obligation to secure someone’s credit-card details. In the information age, data are used to decide what sort of access people have to services. Uber ratings determine who gets a taxi; Airbnb reviews decide what sort of property you can stay in; dating-app algorithms choose your potential life partners. Firms use location data and payment history to sell you products. Your online searches may establish the price you pay for things. Those with a good Zhima credit score, administered by an Alibaba subsidiary, enjoy discounts and waived deposits. Those without receive few offers.
这种责任延伸远远超过了保障个人信用卡详细信息安全的义务范围。信息时代数据被用以决定什么样的人们通过何种方式获得服务。Uber评级决定谁可以打到出租车。Airbnb测评决定什么样的房子你能居住。约会APP算法选择你可能的另一半。公司通过地点数据和付款历史卖给你产品。你的在线搜索可能决定你需付出去的商品价格。拥有阿里巴巴子公司管理的芝麻信用分可以享受折扣和免收押金。那些没有的就不能获得服务。
When they are used by states, such techniques pose a still greater threat. Algorithms that are able to recognise patterns in data can pinpoint dissidents or even those with unconventional opinions. In 2012 Facebook experimented with using data to manipulate emotions. In 2016 Russia used data to influence the American presidential election. The question is not whether someone is doing something wrong. It is whether others can do wrong to them.
当类似技术被国家层面使用会产生更大的威胁。算法能够发现数据中的模式，能发现异见者和持非常规观点的人。 2012年Facebook实验使用数据来左右用户情感。2016年俄罗斯用数据来影响美国总统选举。问题并非是谁做了什么坏事，而是别人能否对他们做坏事。
We, the data
The fossils of past actions fuel future economic and social outcomes. Privacy rules, data-protection regulation and new laws surrounding the use of algorithms are crucial in protecting the rights of individuals. But the first step towards ensuring the fairness of the new information age is to understand that it is not data that are valuable. It is you.
过去的行为将会为未来经济和社会产出铺路。版权规则，数据保护规定以及算法使用周边的新法规对保护个人权利非常关键。但保障新信息时代公平的第一步，是必须理解，有价值的不是“数据”，而是“你”。
Dec 22nd 2018 | Leaders | 667words
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