Data protection and privacy in three dimensions

IT IS becoming abundantly clear that there is a deep flaw in the idea of consent-driven frameworks concerning personal data. Some of the resultant issues have recently been highlighted and extrapolated upon - somewhat sensationally - in the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma. But it goes deeper than that.

The flaw lies in this narrow frame - that we are trying to determine when and how a company is permitted to collect and use the personal data of an individual - the two-dimensional thinking of the balance between the interests of the individual versus the interests of the company, with a historical policy bias toward the former.

Hence, the foundational axiom of consent, which has percolated through the layman's consciousness. This narrow line of thought also creates a risk that use of data is perceived to be appropriate if mere compliance is achieved within the limited context of data protection or privacy laws - which is far from the truth.