Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

This article was originally published by politico.eu and can be viewed in full here

Data that could cure diseases or curb epidemics could also wreck patients’ lives.

The big data sector is growing by 40 percent per year, seven times faster than the overall IT market, according to the European Commission. As a result, many people are concerned about what is being done with their personal data — if it’s such a big money-maker for businesses, is sensitive information being treated properly?

Nowhere is that privacy dilemma more acute than in the debate surrounding health data — information that is perhaps the most sensitive to consumers but also potentially has the potential to do the most good. It is a favourite tactic of big data advocates to ask privacy activists if they would share their data if it “could cure cancer.”

The Commission’s new senior policy advisor on innovation, Robert Madelin, has been outspoken on the potential benefits of shared health data. He questioned whether it was even ethical to refuse sharing data for medical research, arguing that such a position looks only at short-term benefits and considerations.

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