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Google Says Data is More Like Sunlight Than Oil (businessinsider.com)

Posted by msmash on from the how-about-that dept.

Google wants to popularize a more upbeat way of describing data: It's more like sunlight than oil. From a report: Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday morning, Google's chief financial officer, Ruth Porat, said that "data is more like sunlight than oil," adding, "It is like sunshine -- we keep using it, and it keeps regenerating." It's a twist on the well-known phrase "data is the new oil," meaning the world's most valuable resource is information rather than petroleum. Like the oil barons who preceded them, Silicon Valley titans such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon have risen quickly to profit from this new resource and even control its flow. And in another echo of history, regulators are eyeing the industry.

2 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. More Like Crack by moehoward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    At least to Google, Facebook, and Amazon, data is like crack, not happy-happy-sunshine. They are addicted and act just like any other addict.

    --
    "If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." - Epictetus
  2. If data is like sunlight... by kamakazi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why is it that the companies mining it keep their practices so deep in the shadows?

    --
    "Proximity to wonder has blunted our perception and appreciation of it" --Tim Hartnell in 'Exploring ARTIFICIAL INTELLI