The current trend to collect all data on all people has resulted in a phenomenon called the data-self. This data doppelganger is not an explicit self or even a tangible self, but has real consequences on our everyday lives. As our data-selves have become more defined, accessible, and trusted, more and more decisions are made based on these virtual stand-ins without any notification or much awareness by the subject. Due to the growth of computer technologies and networked systems, data determines how we live, who we are, and what opportunities we are allowed more than ever before.

Privacy advocates form the most vocal and organized group addressing the issues surrounding personal-data collection. While privacy advocates have made important differences, there are other ways to frame data-collection issues. Sociologists, for instance, shift the focus from an individual concern toward larger questions of social justice. Artists, also entering the data-collection discussion, are in a unique position to promote understanding and debate. A technologically oriented art practice is, furthermore, capable of temporarily breaking the tight grip of data surveillance to initiate openings for public response and resistance.

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