Data collected from our smartphones is being used to score us on a variety of things from creditworthiness to driving style.
The analysis can have real-life impacts.
Auto insurers can raise premiums on individuals based on information from smartphone apps that determine driving styles. Health insurance companies use large analytics firms to monitor how likely we are to take medication based on when and how often we refill prescriptions. They can then match the “right patient investment level to the right patients.”
Wireless customers determined to be less profitable may be forced to endure longer customer service hold times.
The “social scoring” is the direct product of two trends: massive collection of data through our smartphones and the capability to analyze that data in near real-time using more powerful computers and next-generation networks such as 5G.
Big tech companies have told us the collection of such data helps improve product offerings. It seems it is also being used to divide humans into categories based on “desirability.”
Read more here.
Photo by Mateusz Dach