In Praise of Data for All…
John Thompson’s book, Data for All, is one of the more interesting ones I have read recently. It is one of the
most honest, direct, pull-no-punches sources on one of the most important personal issues of our time. That
issue is, ‘Should I undertake extraordinary efforts to prevent companies—tech and otherwise—from getting
access to my personal data?’ I think the answer is yes. I’ve already changed some of my own behaviors after
reading the book, and I suggest you do so as well. You have more to lose than you may think.
—Thomas H. Davenport,
Distinguished Professor, Babson College and Fellow,
MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy,
author of Competing on Analytics and The AI Advantage
John provides a cogent and concise treatment of the problem of ‘digital exhaust’ and what to do about the
nearly infinite traces of ourselves that we create in the course of everyday activity. His voice is of someone
who has lived with and thought about data from before it was trendy to do so. While John is appropriately
blunt about the challenges ordinary people face in controlling their data, he is neither cynical or pessimis-
tic, and therefore provides an actionable path toward greater agency around the data we generate.
—Thomas A. Finholt,
Dean, School of Information,
University of Michigan
How much time do you spend thinking deeply about the data you create, who is using that data, and how?
It’s hard to know where to even start. John Thompson’s Data for All provides a wide-ranging non-techni-
cal overview of the past, present, and future of data, of topics including data privacy, open data, and data
analytics. And for those looking to take control of their own data futures, this book is the best version of a
‘People’s Data Manifesto’ I’ve seen to date.
—David Steier,
Distinguished Service Professor,
Carnegie Mellon University
John Thompson and I have been discussing, debating, and collaborating on data and analytics projects
for over 25 years. Data for All concisely summarizes and accurately outlines the coming data revolution
and, at the same time, provides guidance as to how each individual and company can prepare themselves
to own, manage, protect, and profit from their data. The world of data is changing rapidly. All of us
should be ready to benefit from it, and this book is a practical guide to doing just that.
—Larry Smarr,
Distinguished Prof. Emeritus,
UC San Diego Department of Computer Science & Engineering
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