DEMOS

Everyday life leaves a 'footprint' of personal information: details about where we go, whom we are friends with, the things we buy and the culture we enjoy. But this is not merely a case of ‘Big Brother’: surveillance is now just as much about how people watch each other. And from more personal services to the many new ways to communicate with and learn about each other, we are keen for the benefits this openness affords.

But there is a tension at the heart of this surveillance society. We are increasingly willing to engage in this world of easily available personal information. But that information is increasingly relied upon by the public and private sector to make important judgements about people. There is now more opportunity than ever for those decisions to be made without our consent or involvement. Personal information can be interpreted and used long after the everyday interactions it originated from.

This pamphlet argues that individuals do not have enough influence over how personal information is used, and that we need to reconnect the everyday experience of giving away our details with the longer-term consequences. With a range of recommendations aimed at individuals, businesses and government, FYI sets out a new framework to put individuals at the centre of the information flows and the decisions that govern them.