People Should Be in Charge of Their Data (Thanks, EU)
Where will his data go?
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesA clash between European Union bureaucracy and artificial intelligence is a plot worthy of a cyberpunk thriller. It will take place in real life in 2018, once some European data protection laws, passed earlier this year, go into effect. And, though we might instinctively be tempted to endorse progress over regulation, the EU is on the side of the angels in this battle.
The EU's General Data Protection Regulation and a separate directive contain provisions to protect people against decisions made automatically by algorithms. "The data subject shall have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning him or her or similarly significantly affects him or her," is how the regulation puts it. The directive, which will regulate police and intelligence work, is even tougher, prohibiting the use of data on ethnicity, religion political views, sexual orientation or union membership to use any automated decisions.