An insightful piece from Martin Tisne of the Luminate Group on how the data captured about us is not a resource an individual can manage. 

The basic idea being – it’s a new resource that is being extracted, it is valuable, and is a raw product that fuels other industries. But it also implies that data in inherently valuable in and of itself and that “my data” is valuable, a resource that I really should tap in to."

And even if we are active in managing how we opt out of data collection, it can’t be solved at an individual level:

We should not endlessly be defending arguments along the lines that “people choose to willingly give up their freedom in exchange for free stuff online”

The argument is flawed for two reasons. First the reason that is usually given - people have no choice but to consent in order to access the service, so consent is manufactured. We are not exercising choice in providing data but rather resigned to the fact that they have no choice in the matter"

But first let’s all admit that the line of inquiry defending pervasive surveillance in the name of “individual freedom” and individual consent gets us nowhere closer to understanding the threats we are facing.