Hello ODI Supporter,
It’s National Haiku Day, so if you’re pushed for time…
Breached stays, shadow texts,
silent grids and hidden costs,
winner fades at dawn.
Otherwise…
Travel giant Booking.com revealed this week it had suffered a data breach at the hands of “unauthorised parties” who gained access to customers’ information. The company emailed affected customers to tell them that hackers may have accessed “certain booking information” associated with previous reservations, including names, emails, addresses, phone numbers associated with the booking and anything that you may have shared with the accommodation”. The firm declined to say how many people were affected, but did clarify that financial data had not been accessed. And now, customers have already reported receiving suspicious messages on the back of the breach, with experts warning there could be a surge in “reservation hijacks” as the hackers contact those affected, pretending to be hotels to try and trick them into sending money based on fictitious reservation problems. Such an attack, moving from a data breach to phishing attempts within days, could suggest something much more deliberate than opportunistic, experts have warned, and is a growing threat in the hospitality industry.
In the US, legislators in Maine have dealt a blow to the rapid expansion of infrastructure underpinning AI by issuing a state-wide data centre ban. The legislation, which still needs to be signed-off by the state’s governor, prohibits the building of data centres using at least 20 megawatts of power until 2027 so that a proper evaluation of the environmental and economic impacts of construction can be evaluated. At least a dozen states have tried to introduce bans, signalling stiff opposition at a local level to plans of the big tech firms, but this is the first to have passed the legislative chamber. Meanwhile, reports emerged in Europe that Microsoft and other US tech firms have successfully lobbied the EU to hide the environmental impact of their datacentres. A secrecy provision was added to EU rules after industry lobbying in 2024, leaving researchers with only national-level summaries of energy footprints, and not details of pollution caused by individual data centres.
As the UK government’s consultation on digital identity closes, we’ll be sharing our key reflections from the consultation, alongside insights from our broader work on digital identity and data infrastructure. Join us on Tuesday 19 May, 15:30-16:30 BST for our webinar and find out more. And there’s still time to get tickets for Dr Alan Warburton’s exploration of his new film Image Empire on Wednesday 6 May, 13:00-14:00 BST, as well as webinars on ethics in technology with Police Scotland on Wednesday 29 April, 12:00-13:00 BST, and our exploration of smart data in transport on Tuesday 12 May, 16:00-17:00, so don’t miss out.
And finally… after a tense final round at the Masters in Augusta last Sunday, data suggests champion Rory McIlroy enjoyed his victory. Into the early hours of Monday morning. The CEO and Founder of fitness tracker WHOOP revealed McIlroy’s “recovery rate data”, ranging from 79-94% during the tournament, and crashing to a mere 7% on Monday. It’s unlikely McIlroy will care his data has been disclosed given he’s invested in the company…
Until next time.
David and Jo
PS: Do you know any practical tools for data ethics? Researchers at King’s College London would like to know about any names or links for tools you are aware of in this short survey.
Until next time.
David and Jo
