Privacy

The Dangers of Data Sharing

With the advances in cloud technology, there are few experiences as convenient as data sharing. Able to be used by large organizations and extended families alike, data sharing allows multiple parties to gain access to shared files at the same time. Say, for example, that you have pictures taken during a family reunion: data sharing allows for multiple members of your family to pick the photos they like from cloud storage and download them to their individual devices. We also saw how, during COVID, the practice of data sharing made it easier for public health officials to control the spread of the virus.

However, this beneficial practice can also cause some real headaches in the long run. That is because the more you allow for data sharing—whether with the people in your life or outside parties—you open yourself up to cyberattacks or for the possibility your data will be used in ways you did not intend. Let us go back to the family reunion example: if your cousins take an embarrassing picture of you and upload it to your shared family drive, anyone can download the picture and use it anyway they please. This is also the same for companies you opt into sharing your data with.

Data sharing does not just extend to multiple users accessing the same files. Data sharing also extends to the user agreements you sign with companies to share your data with third parties. This is most frequently seen when social media websites or search engines take consumer information and sell it to advertisers; unsurprisingly, this is not an act that consumers like very much. What is more, many consumers would like to see legislation enacted to reduce this kind of data sharing, though this might take some time to come to fruition at the federal level.

Simultaneously, however, it can be beneficial for users to allow companies to share their data with other partners. The earlier COVID-19 case is one good example; others arise when companies work together across different sectors. One example of open dating sharing comes from the 29 Foundation and Microsoft who run Health29: a platform that shares open data sets for research purposes. This is yet another example of how, in and of themselves, data sharing is not nefarious, but you want to make sure you know what you are opting into and always read the fine print.