Abstract
A single grain of sand is nothing, but when multiple grains are gathered together in one place, constrained by the sea and the rocks, the single grain of sand contributes to the beach. Data can be considered as a collection of grains of sand, individually each point does not tell you much but when gathered with other data points and viewed through a specific lens or framed by certain constraints an informative picture emerges.
Data can be gathered from many sources and used for different purposes. So what kind of picture you are looking at depends on the type and quality of the data used to construct it, and what kind of analysis or question you have applied. The use of data, in particular personal data, to create these informative pictures by researchers or policy makers has raised questions about the rights of the individual over their personal data. Who should have access to personal information? Should consent be sought for use of personal data? Can an individual refuse to allow their data to be used? Should individuals receive compensation for access to their personal data? Who has control? These questions and other concerns about use, reuse and access to personal data have frequently led to the use of property ownership over personal data as a model for describing who has control over the information and how researchers and individuals interact with personal data. My null hypothesis is that there is no ethical difference between property ownership and interests as models for understanding data use.