The Digital Person Symposium - Digital Identity in Economic Markets

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This panel is chaired by Professor Irene Ng (slides) with presentations from

• Michael Lu, Director of Strategy (Security and Privacy) at ARM (slides)
• Professor YoungJin Yoo from Case Western University (slides)

Sensor data on a phone has always been an information good held by the technology firm that controls it, for example, Apple and Google for iOS and Android phones. Whether it’s Bluetooth identifier, location data or a MAC address, the ability for that information to move at great speeds and at scale through the Internet makes it an attractive asset for achieving mass coordination of the people that hold the devices. Little wonder that it is sought by governments in their attempt to carefully mobilise a workforce to get the economy re-started.

The information from devices creates a three tier market. First, for the data itself, and access to it. Second, for the information it transmits and third, for the ability of that information to coordinate other markets such as health and finance. Is it acceptable to restrict transactions on the data (such as the conditions Apple and Google are imposing for covid19 tracing apps) in the name of keeping transactions safe (a necessary component of a market). At what point does this become market manipulation?

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