“It’s a time of worry, a time of fear,” Tim Berners-Lee said on 10 Dec. Vint Cerf chimed in with, “We may be building a fragile, brittle future …What happens when we fail?” I believe that on balance the Internet is a good thing; ten years ago, I never imagined that would be questioned. Now, TIMBL is less sure. “We’ve got to get to where the internet is a net benefit to humanity.”
Tim and Vint convened a remarkable Our People-Centered Digital Future Event. At the event, David Bray and Hu-manity introduced a “Data-Focused Magna Carta.”
We wish to speak directly to all organizations both public and private to ensure they agree with the statements expressed in this Data-Focused Magna Carta. Given everyone has the right to legally own their inherent human data as property and we need organizations to be good data stewards. We seek to obtain the certainty that our personal data is respected and not used without our choice, consent and authorization. Everyone has the right based upon the following promises:
(1) Data of an individual will only be used if that person gives explicit permission for the intended purpose.