‘Complete rethink’ needed to keep tech giants in check

TECH giants will dominate people’s lives for decades without a “complete rethink” on how digital data are collected, researchers claim.

A study by the Institute for Public Policy Research claims six firms – Facebook, Google parent company Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix and Amazon – are gaining ever-increasing control over valuable information.

The report says a new UK digital data regulator should be created to drive open access and common ownership of data.

It also urges better protection for particularly sensitive data, such as those derived from the NHS.

The report highlights that the combined value of the big six has risen by more than $1.9trillion (£1.4trillion) since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and argues that the outbreak has caused society to become even more dependent on data as a result of remote working and increased medical surveillance to help fight the virus.

The report also suggests that this value increase among the biggest firms reflects the expectation that they stand to gain disproportionately from the shift to more data dependence.

James Meadway, associate fellow at the institute and author of the report, said: “Covid-19 risks further increasing the economic and social dominance of big tech, with stock market valuations skyrocketing as society becomes more dependent on data through homeworking and increased medical surveillance.

“This Covid effect means their power to affect and influence our daily lives is becoming increasingly removed from public control.”

The report calls for local authorities to push for data collected in their area to be made open and accessible in an anonymised form to help with other projects.