Data Hits Peak Metaphor

In a recent post, Tim O’Reilly declared data is not the new oil. It’s the new sand. Or the new Oxycontin. Possibly both. This is a clear sign we’ve reached peak data metaphor. It’s not so much that O’Reilly’s metaphors are wrong or that a different one would be better. It’s that our attempts to […]

Why We Need to Grapple With Data’s Triple Role: Property, Capital, Power

For people, data is property. For companies, data is capital. For nations, data is power. And it’s all the same data. Data’s triple role means we need to rewrite the social contract between people, companies, and governments. Despite a smattering of data-related laws around the world, data remains a largely ungoverned province, while a hodgepodge […]