University at Buffalo School of Management

12 Buffalo Business Spring 2023 "The California law gives you the right to tell any business, 'I don't want you to keep my information,' but the onus is on you to ask what information they have and to request they delete it," says Gaia. "And then a year later they can start collecting it again and you have to restart the whole process." But why are people willing to give up so much personal information in the first place? Gaia says there are a number of factors in play, from convenience to a lack of understanding. "It's a huge burden to think about our own data and what we can do to protect ourselves," she says. "Whether I use my Starbucks app to pay for my coffee or I use my Fitbit to track my walk, the information is out there and I don't own it anymore. "It's also a lot easier to put something on Facebook than it is to call 100 people and give them a family update. We tend to ignore the negatives and focus on the connec- tions we're making, all while the companies make money selling our information." Gaia says that while your personal information may be valuable to a hacker who might want to steal your credit card, the real value for organizations is in aggregated data — and that's where issues can arise. "The problem comes when the aggregation of data can be used for financial gain in unethical ways," she says. "We saw some of that following the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the passing of laws in states about gender-af- firming health care. Now there are basically bounty hunters out there finding information about people and selling it for their own personal gain, with no regard for the consequences." Kevin Cleary says aggregation is a trap that organiza- tions can easily fall into when they start using data for a purpose different than the original stated intent. "It's a slippery slope," he says. Far too oen, orga- nizations will ask 'How can I mine my data for this new purpose?' rather than 'Should I mine my data for this new purpose?'" And that's where regulations come in, but so far federal laws have been an ineffective patchwork, accord- ing to Cleary. "There are now nearly 200 pieces of legislation across 35 states, yet somehow we're not much better off now than we were 10 years ago when it comes to legislating privacy requirements for personal data," he says. "In many ways, the regulatory landscape is far more complex without the tangible results we would expect and have demanded." Data for the greater good From his home in Buffalo, Jeremy Walczak, BS '99, leads data security efforts for GenesisCare, a global cancer radiation oncology organization. As chief information security officer, Walczak safe- guards patient information at nearly 400 GenesisCare locations around the world. And while he agrees that privacy is a must for building trust in his company, he says there are additional concerns that elevate the significance of data security in the health care industry. "The moment your information is compromised, you're less likely to do business with that organization. But if you're going through a health event, the last thing you want to deal with is a privacy breach that's going to distract you from your treatment regimen," he says. Along with the challenges of securing patient data, Walczak says all that information holds vast opportuni- ties, too. "The value arises when you can synthesize all this data and look for repeatable outcomes," he says. "If you have a disease you can cure by doing X, Y and Z, the more examples you can find of that happening will help lead to greater patient outcomes. And you can only do that by combing through large amounts of data." From customized music and TV recommendations, to simulated rocket flights, there's potential for the secure use of data across industries and throughout all aspects of our lives. Logistics companies can benefit from anonymized big data, too. Dean Iyer collaborated on a study that analyzed ways shipping companies can optimize routes by sharing pick-up and delivery tasks without revealing any information. "It's illegal for competitors to share details, because that'd be collusion," says Iyer. "But our algorithm would allow shipping companies to swap loads on overlapping routes, thus saving time, money and gas and lowering their carbon footprint, all while keeping customer data anonymous. It sounds like magic, but that's the benefit of cryptography." " It's a huge burden to think about our own data and what we can do to protect ourselves. Whether I use my Starbucks app to pay for my coffee or I use my Fitbit to track my walk, the information is out there and I don't own it anymore. JOANA GAIA Clinical Assistant Professor Management Science and Systems "

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