The fallacy of the Better mousetrap #mdfp

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Ajit Jaokar posted yesterday, “The fallacy of the Better mousetrap: Privacy advocates want to have their cake and eat it too” on his open gardens blog http://opengardensblog.futuretext.com/archives/2010/03/the_fallacy_of.html

As always is view is provocative and looking for views that means we move towards a better understanding.  It is based on a curiously mis-titled article from Julie Meyer called 'Why the IT sector is vital for small firms' The article is actually about privacy, digital footprint etc and it says: “If they (Google) don't cut the individual into receiving a piece of the value of their personal information, as it is used in search and purchase transactions, someone will, and that new party will rise to dominance.”

Ajit post looks at a photo of you (without your permission) winning  a competition and you rock up asking for a share of the prize money.

My take on his post is that there is no value in your photo (or you being in the photo) - if your photo is considered raw data.  However, if the photo is analysed and someone can see where you are and decides to sell you something based on where you are, or the information that you were there - you ( your data) now has value. 

  • Is the value in you being in the photo - probably not
  • Is the value in the sales pitch based on the data - probably not/ small %
  • Is the value in knowing that you where there at some point and therefore may have a propensity to be interested in the area - maybe

Value however for the individual is subjective and the old view (marketing 1.0) was this linear one way through the model without the feedback and real time web.  Introduce these (real-time and feedback) to the value proposition of your data and you have a different equation. This is where the analysis provides information on who influences you and who you influence - this does have value.

But somehow as a back shop, it is probably he who collects, stores and delivers the analysis who has access to delivering value from your data, but your data is in silos all over the place.