Opinion: We need to create a global standard to protect and share data — before it’s too late

Editor’s Note: This article has been edited from its original version. How to use data responsibly The data generated by our smart devices are essentially a private good held by Big Tech companies that dominate social media, online sales and search tools. There could be a case to consider the creation of public data utilities — perhaps as an outgrowth of credit registries — that could balance public needs with individual rights. Global coordination is always a challenge, especially in an area as complex as data policy, where there is a multitude of interests and regulators even within individual countries, let alone across borders. This could leverage old-fashioned paper-based international health cards but would call for development of standards and an interoperable data management system for reporting and consulting on people’s vaccination status — potentially linked to digital identity — as well as agreements on protection of individual privacy and barriers to access for other purposes.