The coronavirus crisis has not exactly curbed our runaway generation of data. The last Zoom call had an impact, and the energy needed for tonight\u2019s streaming has yet to be generated. It seems working from home, spending hours on Zoom, has become the new normal. That means it\u2019s high time to start thinking about minimizing the data we generate. Thus far, this topic has mainly been associated with consumer protection, the \u201cright to be forgotten,\u201d and data protection and privacy. Issues of environmental policy have garnered very little attention.<\/p>\n\n
The environmental implications become clear when we look at data centers, the backbone of the current shift toward all things digital. This industry has grown rapidly in recent years. The number of computers involved grew by a factor of six between 2010 and 2018, and Internet protocol traffic across these systems is up by a factor of ten. Storage capacity has grown even more, by a factor of 25. Data centers require a lot of energy. These days, they account for somewhere between one and 1.5 percent of total electricity consumption worldwide, according to pre-pandemic estimates. These centers are a key factor in the rising emissions attributed to information and communication technologies. They are dependent on fossil energy sources and require huge amounts of water for cooling. Getting this demand for energy under control will be crucial. And that will require addressing specific players \u2013 streaming services like Netflix, for example.<\/p>\n\n
This company is a prime example of the growing hunger for data, a trend that will conflict with efforts to minimize data. Netflix strives to use \u201cBig Data\u201d to identify patterns of behavior (\u201cartificial intelligence\u201d) and use those for advertising purposes. The company\u2019s primary interest is not in data that relate directly to people, but rather in patterns that emerge from creative links between the \u201ctrails\u201d of data people leave behind \u2013 and the more of those trails, the better.<\/p>\n\n
On the one hand, consumers are offered more and more technological storage and ways to use technology. But on the other, they are also increasingly having to shoulder the responsibility for minimizing their impact. \u201cUpgrading\u201d our approach to data minimization is a good example of a modern consumer policy that takes new models and complex value chains seriously. Here, too, the coronavirus crisis shines a bright light on the serious implications of \u201cdigital capitalism.\u201d We should start talking about it so we can navigate the transition successfully.<\/p>\n\n
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