{"id":75834,"date":"2020-11-04T22:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T22:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interac1.wpengine.com\/content\/%content-category%\/6-things-leaders-should-do-to-avoid-a-data-dystopia-in-collaboration-with-elevate\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T11:30:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T15:30:58","slug":"6-things-leaders-should-do-to-avoid-a-data-dystopia-in-collaboration-with-elevate","status":"publish","type":"content","link":"https:\/\/www.interac.ca\/en\/content\/business\/6-things-leaders-should-do-to-avoid-a-data-dystopia-in-collaboration-with-elevate\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Things leaders should do to avoid a data dystopia \u2013\u00a0In collaboration with Elevate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You install a new app on your phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your friends have it, celebrities use it, and it\u2019s going viral on social media. It finishes installing, and a window pops up \u2014 Terms and Conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You scroll to the bottom, click \u2018accept\u2019, and continue the account creation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that act, you\u2019ve put your trust in three different parties. Your peer group for vetting it. Pop culture for celebrating it. The app developer because\u2026 you weren\u2019t going to read all that text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to our data \u2014 an increasingly crucial part of our identity and privacy \u2014 we are quick to offer our unexamined trust with the simple click of a checkbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s just so easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as with everything in life, nothing comes for free. So, what\u2019s the catch?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy Webb, Futurist and best-selling author and Debbie Gamble, Chief Officer, Innovation Labs & New Ventures at Interac, sat down to discuss the security implications Canadians should keep in mind when surrendering our trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we keep treating our data with the passiveness that we do today, what does our future look like? And most importantly, how can we change it and protect our data?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does trust really mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to understand what, exactly, we mean by \u2018trust\u2019. According to Debbie, it means transparency, clarity, and ease. It means the average consumer should be able to effortlessly and reliably \u201ccontrol when, how, and what they share. It means being relevant and\u2026inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It sounds simple; a no-brainer. Of course, users should be in control\u2026aren\u2019t we already?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Debbie, \u201ctrust needs to be a conscious expectation. And that conscious expectation needs to be made concrete.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crossroads of trust<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the pace of disruption, whether education, business, or the very nature of democracy itself. However, due diligence cannot be pushed aside to support our rapidly shifting world, warns Debbie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf data is the new oil, a commodity good, then trust is indeed a currency,\u201d says Debbie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where leaders can continue to build value for their customers, employees and partners. For companies, establishing and maintaining trust at every interaction should become a business imperative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDone well, not only can it be an expression of our brand, but it can also become our competitive advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Stakes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may ask yourself, \u2018so what if companies use my data\u2019?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Futurist, Amy\u2019s expertise lies in assessing global trends and using them to draw likely conclusions about the future, which people in her world call \u201cscenarios.\u201d She\u2019s narrowed the uncertainties to three likely narratives based on the decisions around data and data security we\u2019re making today, explained in detail in her book The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenario 1: Our rights are protected<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Amy\u2019s best-case scenario lands us in a future where we\u2019re all-in on trust, regulation and accountability. In this world, users actively benefit from data that\u2019s heavily regulated by a \u201cglobal alliance\u201d that sets norms and standards, performs risk modeling, and upholds data hygiene to protect the data and rights of users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenario 2: We stay the course<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We continue forward, business as usual. We remain tethered to what Amy calls the G-MAFIA (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, IBM and Amazon). Decisions are made for us based on the technology we use, and the lack of interoperability between tech companies creates rifts between families and users based on alliances rooted in economic status and the technology platforms they are tied to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenario 3: Humanity is \u2018fatally imperiled\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the worst-case scenario, in which \u201cthe US continues its isolationist stance\u201d, allowing China to continue ahead in its development. The new world order is established in what Amy refers to as the One China Policy, where countries are using China\u2019s technology, or they are not. Trade and travel are disrupted, and \u201cthings get worse and worse until the end when humanity is fatally imperilled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say, the stakes are high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how do we avoid the worst-case scenario?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy Webb shares 6 things we can do today<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

#1 Use second order thinking<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first and most important thing is to think carefully and analytically about the devices we use. This applies both as a user and as a business leader. Instead of ending the thought process at \u201cthat data will give me access to a basic service,\u201d continue to the second-order question of \u201c\u2026but what happens with that data if I make this decision? How does that implicate me and my employees?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy offers the example of the upcoming saliva COVID-19 detection test, which has garnered excitement from many people, including CEOs planning to welcome employees back to an office with daily testing. A surficial benefit to be sure, but at what cost?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho owns this data?\u201d asks Amy. \u201cNone of that makes sense. To me, this says, that the person running this organization doesn\u2019t have a good enough understanding of biometric data, data surveillance, everyday data or metadata from the industrial internet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She doesn\u2019t expect every person to know the details of regression algorithms or computer visioning. But \u201ceveryday people must be more aware of how the devices that we have a more intimate relationship work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can start by asking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. What data is being collected or scraped?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Who will own it?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. How is it being authenticated?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    #2 Later is now \u2013 it\u2019s time to deal with data hygiene<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re a leader at a company, it\u2019s time to prioritize data. It\u2019s no-one\u2019s favourite task, and Amy is the first to admit that data is anything but sexy, but we simply can\u2019t afford to wait any longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cAt some point with all of this \u2018dealing with that later\u2019, we\u2019re going to have a reckoning,\u201d says Amy. \u201cIndeed, the reckoning may actually be already upon us,\u201d agrees Debbie. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cYou really need to think hard about trust, data hygiene, and risk, and making sure that the data you\u2019re collecting is being put to good use,\u201d says Amy. \u201cThere are big questions that we\u2019re going to have to ask moving forward, even today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n