We should be doing more to protect personal data, says Christopher Wylie

We should be doing more to protect personal data, says Christopher Wylie

Ex Cambridge Analytica employee shared his experiences at the recent IP Expo 

Elly Yates-Roberts |


IP EXPO Manchester opened on 3 April with Christopher Wylie, an ex-Cambridge Analytica employee, giving visitors an inside scoop on one of the most notorious data scandals to date. He shared his insights on what governments, technology vendors and regulatory bodies should be doing to better protect personal data in the future.

Drawing parallels with other sectors, Wylie questioned why technology was the only industry placing the burden on the consumer. “As consumers we’re not told if you don’t want to get electrocuted, don’t use electricity,” he said. “There are regulations in place and accountability lies with the provider not the user. Why isn’t that the same with technology?” 

Wylie went on to reiterate why this was critical in an increasingly connected, smart world, posing questions about the efficacy of current regulation such as GDPR. He argued that technology was so fundamental to how we live, work and communicate that there must be a new cross-governmental, cross-industry approach taken to data regulation to ensure it is fit for purpose and used responsibly.

“We aim to push the boundaries every year and we felt that Christopher Wylie personified both the opportunities and the challenges that we face as an industry and within society,” said Gordon Sockett, senior content manager at IP Expo. “Data presents so many opportunities to do good, especially as we move into an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered world; but it needs to be the right data and used responsibility. We’re proud to have so many of the leading technology brands involved in ensuring this as exhibitors at the event...”

Microsoft’s Chris Testa-O’Neill also spoke at the event, sharing the capabilities and ethics of AI and how to integrate these technologies into business solutions, as well as BT’s Nicola Millard who discussed the digital reinvention of the workplace and how employees and customers are now connected by communication networks.

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