Overcoming Data Governance Challenges-
As data becomes the most household word of the decade, the discussions about data governance are massively confusing. Some call for it, some ask for zero interference and some ask that the government own the data.
However, here are the 9 most common challenges involved in data governance.
1. We fall short of data leadership–
A good leader is a synonym of good leadership. The politics around the world has been run by people who are set in their own ways for decades. There is a general lack of understanding and even enthusiasm among government bodies globally. Data, which has evolved to be more than just a business idea into something that can transform the infrastructural conduct of the entire world, its economy, healthcare, education, and offices, are not getting the legal attention that it deserves due to inadequate leadership.
2. A lack of data on data–
The whole idea of data is to understand human and machine behavior accurately enough to predict the next best move. A heavy large amount of data processed about the buying behavior of human beings, helps businesses and advertisers predict what they are most likely to buy. When it comes to data, there is not enough data available to know the ideal conduct of data should be. Governments around the world are still analyzing the situation completely.
3. Do we need a data police now?–
With data comes theft of data. And theft of data can cause major breakdowns in the system. From intellectual property to healthcare data, data theft can completely distort lives if not prevented in advance. For eg- If the data collected from the healthcare institutions are stolen due to vulnerable software, the pharmaceutical companies can then manipulate the prices of drugs to capitalize on the sufferings of people. If ideas begin to be stolen, we might as well go 100 years back in time and write with pen and paper and maintain manual registers.
The current legal systems around the world are already quite burdened by its judicial responsibilities. Who will take care of the data-related regulation and policing are still pending questions?
4. The custodian battle–
Too many believe that data is owned by IT companies. IT companies are merely the facilitators of the smooth conduct of data collection and analysis, but that does not make them the owners of data. Many believe that businesses should work alongside IT companies and hold sole ownership of data. But this assumption is not without flaws. Governments may promote businesses and trade for the better functioning of economies, but they also have the moral responsibility to save the common man from the grips of excessive capitalization and manipulation. This is the very reason we need data protection laws in countries. But at the same time, if governments take sole custody of rights over data, the world cannot use its technological advancements to the fullest. Between bureaucracy and hyper-capitalization the data governance tries to find a place for itself.
5. The Purpose of data governance–
The world leaders cannot even seem to narrow down to a common purpose of data protection. Some governments believe that it is to prevent businesses from excessively manipulating the people. Some believe that it is to make sure that businesses flourish under a functioning infrastructure of data regulation. But in reality, all of them are important factors when it comes to determining the need for data protection. Data is a lot more than just information that can be used correctly now. Data is now money, businesses, properties, legal documents, intellectual properties, and much more. The reason we need a proper body and system of data protection is that it is extremely sensitive and can call for chaos if not taken care of.
6. Unwareness among people–
People always tend to go for whatever makes their life easier and more comfortable, no matter the cost at which it comes. The world has always paid the price for people’s unawareness and ignorance at large. Data has been a part of our life for a long time now. The advertisements we see are specific to our taste, the algorithms that flawlessly predict the next video we would love to watch, and much more. But for as long as people are being catered to the comfort they want, they usually never question the consequence. This is another reason why institutions need to stand up for individuals.
7. Context and Conduct–
The world is used to a one-for-all type of governance. With data, every single aspect of lawmaking and implementation will have to be case-specific. Meaning, what might make sense of one type of data might not make sense of another. People’s buying behavior is a slightly less sensitive form of data, but their health records are extremely sensitive. With intellectual property-related data, the governments will have to make space for nuance and preserve originality, even though the theft of such data will have no drastic consequences on the masses.
8. Consent of the massess –
At least when we talk about democracies, it is important to know if the masses are ready for such a huge shift in the infrastructure of technology as we know it. But to know their position, the governments need to make sure that the masses know enough about it to make an informed opinion. And for that, the government themselves need to be extremely educated about the theory, implementation, benefits and consequences
9. Who is it really for?
Here is the most important question. Who is data governance for and who is data for? Is it so the businesses can capitalize on people’s time and date or is it so people will have access to an easier and more intelligent infrastructure? This will determine whether the purpose of data governance is to protect the masses from the businesses or to protect data itself from businesses or it is just to make sure that there is a proper system of conduct between data, businesses, and the masses.
