No, data isn't the new oil – Data Protection Bill needs to realise that

Data is the snake oil that keeps the mysticism of computational networks as robust decision-making bodies intact. Our faith in the idea that predictive digital technologies are reliable is sustained by the constant conversation around data. When a digital deployment does not work, or at least does not work as intended, we hear two pre-wired responses from the intermediaries and stakeholders who support the system: That we need more data to create better outputs and that we need better data to generate more reliable results. This quest for more data and better data naturalises three basic principles. First, that data…