Lethal in small doses: environmental metaphors for privacy protection in the infosphere

Burkhard Schafer; Callum Nash; Wendy Moncur; Jo Briggs; Emma Nicol; Leif Azzopardi

Abstract

Luciano Floridi coined the term infosphere to update the concept of the "ecosphere" for the information society. Just as with the ecosphere, the infosphere is a fragile environment where ruthless commercial practices can cause lasting economic degradation. Mining for data can in this sense be seen as harmful as mining for tin, and if "big data" is really the new oil, then we must be wary of ruthless data barons causing data spills.

The paper reports some of the findings and research of an EPSRC funded project on "cumulative revelations", the risks that are generated through seemingly small and individually innocuous disclosure of information, which nonetheless over time accumulates critical potential.

We explore how we can use ideas and concepts from environmental science and environmental law to think of better ways to create sustainable data infrastructures in the presence of such "de-minimis" risks that are ill catered for in traditional risk-based approaches to regulation

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 21 Apr 2022
Event	Scottish Law and Innovation Network (SCOTLIN) 1st Annual Conference: Sustainable Innovation, Law, and Policy in a Post-COVID World - Stirling Highland Hotel, Stirling, United Kingdom Duration: 21 Apr 2022 → 22 Apr 2022 Conference number: 1 https://www.scotlin.org/post/1st-annual-conference-of-the-scottish-law-and-innovation-network-scotlin2022

Conference

Conference	Scottish Law and Innovation Network (SCOTLIN) 1st Annual Conference
Abbreviated title	SCOTLIN
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	Stirling
Period	21/04/22 → 22/04/22
Internet address	https://www.scotlin.org/post/1st-annual-conference-of-the-scottish-law-and-innovation-network-scotlin2022

Keywords

data protection
sustainability
environmental regulation
infosphere
cumulative risk

Access to Document

Schafer-etal-SCOTLIN-2022-Lethal-in-small-doses-environmental-metaphors-for-privacy-protectionAccepted author manuscript, 550 KBLicence: Strath_1

1 Active

Cumulative Revelations of Personal Data (Wendy Moncur transfer)
Moncur, W.
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
31/07/20 → 30/09/22
Project: Research

Cite this

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title = "Lethal in small doses: environmental metaphors for privacy protection in the infosphere",

abstract = "Luciano Floridi coined the term infosphere to update the concept of the {"}ecosphere{"} for the information society. Just as with the ecosphere, the infosphere is a fragile environment where ruthless commercial practices can cause lasting economic degradation. Mining for data can in this sense be seen as harmful as mining for tin, and if {"}big data{"} is really the new oil, then we must be wary of ruthless data barons causing data spills. The paper reports some of the findings and research of an EPSRC funded project on {"}cumulative revelations{"}, the risks that are generated through seemingly small and individually innocuous disclosure of information, which nonetheless over time accumulates critical potential. We explore how we can use ideas and concepts from environmental science and environmental law to think of better ways to create sustainable data infrastructures in the presence of such {"}de-minimis{"} risks that are ill catered for in traditional risk-based approaches to regulation",

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author = "Burkhard Schafer and Callum Nash and Wendy Moncur and Jo Briggs and Emma Nicol and Leif Azzopardi",

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note = "Scottish Law and Innovation Network (SCOTLIN) 1st Annual Conference : Sustainable Innovation, Law, and Policy in a Post-COVID World, SCOTLIN ; Conference date: 21-04-2022 Through 22-04-2022",

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TY - CONF

T1 - Lethal in small doses

T2 - Scottish Law and Innovation Network (SCOTLIN) 1st Annual Conference

AU - Schafer, Burkhard

AU - Nash, Callum

AU - Moncur, Wendy

AU - Briggs, Jo

AU - Nicol, Emma

AU - Azzopardi, Leif

N1 - Conference code: 1

PY - 2022/4/21

Y1 - 2022/4/21

N2 - Luciano Floridi coined the term infosphere to update the concept of the "ecosphere" for the information society. Just as with the ecosphere, the infosphere is a fragile environment where ruthless commercial practices can cause lasting economic degradation. Mining for data can in this sense be seen as harmful as mining for tin, and if "big data" is really the new oil, then we must be wary of ruthless data barons causing data spills. The paper reports some of the findings and research of an EPSRC funded project on "cumulative revelations", the risks that are generated through seemingly small and individually innocuous disclosure of information, which nonetheless over time accumulates critical potential. We explore how we can use ideas and concepts from environmental science and environmental law to think of better ways to create sustainable data infrastructures in the presence of such "de-minimis" risks that are ill catered for in traditional risk-based approaches to regulation

AB - Luciano Floridi coined the term infosphere to update the concept of the "ecosphere" for the information society. Just as with the ecosphere, the infosphere is a fragile environment where ruthless commercial practices can cause lasting economic degradation. Mining for data can in this sense be seen as harmful as mining for tin, and if "big data" is really the new oil, then we must be wary of ruthless data barons causing data spills. The paper reports some of the findings and research of an EPSRC funded project on "cumulative revelations", the risks that are generated through seemingly small and individually innocuous disclosure of information, which nonetheless over time accumulates critical potential. We explore how we can use ideas and concepts from environmental science and environmental law to think of better ways to create sustainable data infrastructures in the presence of such "de-minimis" risks that are ill catered for in traditional risk-based approaches to regulation

KW - data protection

KW - sustainability

KW - environmental regulation

KW - infosphere

KW - cumulative risk

M3 - Abstract

Y2 - 21 April 2022 through 22 April 2022

ER -

Lethal in small doses: environmental metaphors for privacy protection in the infosphere

Abstract

Conference

Keywords

Access to Document

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Projects

Cumulative Revelations of Personal Data (Wendy Moncur transfer)

Cite this