As user data is viewed more openly as a commodity for tech companies, particularly as it helps develop artificial intelligence systems, the idea around having companies pay for the user data it captures is gaining momentum, The New York Times reports. Eric Posner, professor at the University of Chicago Law School, said, “This is an opportunity for other companies to enter and say look, we will pay you for this data,” adding, “All this is so new that ordinary people haven’t figured out how manipulated they are by these companies.” The article's author, Eduardo Porter, writes, “Getting companies to pay transparently for the information will not just provide a better deal for the users whose data is scooped up as they go about their online lives. It will also improve the quality of the data on which the information economy is being built.” (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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