204426509 (1)
We’re receiving a large daily amount of information, accurately selected by smart designed algorithms. This information is used in different ways, for example on social media and for advertising. Often hidden so we are not aware of their presence. And often so smart that it can direct and change our behavior, leading us to spend money and buy more products.
We’re not just receiving information. In the information society people are continuously being monitored and personal data is being collected on a large scale. This data is needed to create the algorithms, consuming profiles and personalized advertisements. It is said that personal data is the new gold.
I wonder what the value of this collected data is and who is the owner. Out of curiosity, I started sending companies requests for access to my personal data. I have collected the reactions and responses I got back from them and bundled this in a book: a biography formed through the eyes of more than one hundred different companies. To what extent does ‘204426509’ reveal my real identity? And to what extent should an ordinary citizen like me have control over these profiles, created by unconsciously collected personal data?
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