How many apps did you use today? Each one may generate data about what you do. That data can be recorded, combined with other information, analyzed, and used to target you. In the current data ecosystem, most people cannot know—much less control—where all of it goes or how it is used. section 2.0
Data control means having a say in what information is collected about you, who receives it, and whether it is shared or monetized. The question is not simply whether data has value. It is who decides how that value is created and who benefits. Data can help the people it comes from, but companies can also use it in ways that serve their own interests instead. section 5.7 section 1.5.1
Today, taking an active role in managing data is possible but disjointed, complicated, and time-consuming. Proposals for data exchanges, data commons, and services that help people manage and share their data aim to make those choices easier. They are a proposed shift in power, not a description of control that everyone already has. section 1.6
The choice to share
You might want to keep information from an organization you do not trust while sharing it with someone you do. In a 2015 survey, 93% of adults said control over who could get information about them was important; 90% said the same about what information was collected. Data control leaves room for both privacy and chosen sharing. section 5.7
Start by asking what data your everyday activities create, who uses it, and whether that use matches your values. You may not be able to answer every question yet. Knowing which choices matter to you is a first step toward managing, protecting, and potentially benefiting from your data. section 2.0 section 3.8
