Privacy Merchants and Data Protection in the Age of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence

Digital technologies have revolutionized our society, and through the pervasive use of computers and digital devices the management of individual and collective information has been changed forever. A radical change has been generated by the growth in the importance of data. They are no longer just artifacts for information, communication and analysis, but fundamental economic and relational resources. In this scenario, it is essential to protect individual rights, without compromising innovation and the progress of society. This paper argues that data privacy must be a primary goal in developing and using digital systems and models and techniques must be developed to protect personal data and limit the access and selling of these data. This work discusses how the continuous collection and processing of massive personal data changed our society. This new condition asks for a balance between the protection of individual privacy and the need to use data for providing services to citizens in a global context increasingly dependent on digitalization. The key role of data brokers is discussed and a proposal for personal data protection is outlined.