DataMart
DataMart is a design concept and video prototype that explores personal data privacy and how people can protect their online information.
Duration
3 weeks
Team
Role
DataMart: The Film
Overview
Designed a content to make people think that how to protect personal online data as they feel necessary. Utilized Premiere Pro and After Effects to create clips of rich content as prototype to present the design idea.
Abstract
Walking down the street or sitting at home, we are constantly producing data, which is then trafficked. Whether we like it or not we give something in return for signing up and participating in social media or other platforms. While most social media applications are “free” what we don’t realize is that it is us who are the product. Data brokers such as Acxiom collect as much as 1,500 different pieces of information on all of us, and they sell this information to parties unknown.
We asked, how might we make the public more aware of the fact that their data is often sold for purposes they have not authorized to people they do not know?
Background
In the case of the Cambridge Analytica scandal in early 2018, user data was acquired from Facebook to create more targeted political advertising, with the promise of swaying a major election. Governments can also gain access to this data. This case reminds us that we must be aware that our data can be used in ways that we don't knowingly consent to.
Cause
Before we sign up for a new service or buy a new piece of technology, we must ask ourselves:
- What kind of data is being collected from me?
- Am I comfortable with this data being sold and used in ways I may never know about?
Design Overview
Our concept is a VR art installation that will demonstrate to a user firsthand their data being sold, and show them how painful it can be to have their agency about this process removed. At the start they will be totally immersed in new technologies that entice them to interact with their world in fun ways. At the end it will be revealed that the data they’ve input into these applications is being sold without their consent.
Expression
In the near future, augmented reality overlays provide real-time data streams directly to users' vision, creating an immersive digital experience that blurs the line between physical and virtual worlds.
The collected data flows into vast digital marketplaces where corporations trade personal information, making decisions about users without their knowledge or consent.
As the VR experience concludes, participants remove their headsets only to receive a physical receipt—a tangible proof that their personal data has been purchased and sold. This jarring moment transforms abstract digital surveillance into an undeniable reality, leaving them to confront the uncomfortable truth of their data's commodification.