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In the eyes of many, one of the most challenging problems of the information society is that we are faced with an ever expanding mass of information. Based on the work done within the European Network of Excellence (NoE) on the Future of Identity in Information Society (FIDIS), a set of authors from different disciplinary backgrounds and jurisdictions share their understanding of profiling as a technology that may be preconditional for the future of our information society.

Speaking of "smart" technologies we may avoid the mysticism of terms like "artificial intelligence" (AI). To situate "smartness" I nevertheless explore the origins of smart technologies in the research domains of AI and cybernetics. Based in postphenomenological philosophy of technology and embodied cognition rather than media studies and science and technology studies (STS), the article entails a relational and ecological understanding of the constitutive relationship between humans and technologies, requiring us to take seriously their affordances as well as the research domain of computer science. To this end I distinguish three levels of smartness, depending on the extent to which they can respond to their environment without human intervention: logic-based, grounded in machine learning or in multi-agent systems. I discuss these levels of smartness in terms of machine agency to distinguish the nature of their behaviour from both human agency and from technologies considered dumb. Finally, I discuss the political economy of smart technologies in light of the manipulation they enable when those targeted cannot foresee how they are being profiled.

If architecture is politics, then the rise of data-driven computing systems will transform the course, if not the conditions of possibility for the political. Provoked by the work of artists Ruti Sela and Maayan Amir, this contribution explores the connections between terror and safety, borders and jurisdictions, and those between individual and collective subjects. I argue that we are moving into a world constituted by networked, mobile and polymorphous borders that will require hard work to sustain our capability to reconfigure multitudes as collective subjects, offering protection against untenable uncertainty in the face of a volatile jurisdictional instability.

En aquest treball es debat la noció de macrodades en relació amb la monetització de les dades personals. Es revisa el que afirmen alguns dels seus defensors i adversaris, segons els quals les macrodades impliquen que «n = totes», en el sentit que ja no és necessari utilitzar mostres atès que disposem de totes les dades, i s'arriba a la conclusió que aquest argument és al mateix temps massa optimista i innecessàriament pessimista. Es presenten una sèrie d'aspectes epistemològics i ètics relacionats amb les repercussions de les macrodades en la nostra percepció, cognició, imparcialitat i privadesa, i també en els deguts processos legals. A continuació l'article examina la idea de la gestió de dades personals centrada en l'usuari, per a esbrinar fins a quin punt aquest tipus de gestió aporta solucions d'alguns dels problemes plantejats per l'enigma de les macrodades. Es presta una atenció especial al principi bàsic de la legislació sobre protecció de dades, concretament el principi de finalitat vinculant. Per acabar, aquest treball vol indagar en la influència que té la política de les macrodades en la persona, la ment i la societat, i preguntar-nos com podem evitar de convertir-nos en esclaus de les macrodades. ; In this contribution, the notion of Big Data is discussed in relation to the monetisation of personal data. The claim of some proponents, as well as adversaries, that Big Data implies that 'n = all', meaning that we no longer need to rely on samples because we have all the data, is scrutinised and found to be both overly optimistic and unnecessarily pessimistic. A set of epistemological and ethical issues is presented, focusing on the implications of Big Data for our perception, cognition, fairness, privacy and due process. The article then looks into the idea of user-centric personal data management to investigate to what extent it provides solutions for some of the problems triggered by the Big Data conundrum. Special attention is paid to the core principle of data protection legislation, namely purpose binding. Finally, this contribution seeks to inquire into the influence of Big Data politics on self, mind and society, and asks how we can prevent ourselves from becoming slaves to Big Data. ; En este trabajo se debate la noción de macrodatos con relación a la monetización de los datos personales. Se revisa lo que afirman algunos de sus defensores y adversarios, según los cuales los macrodatos implican que «n = todos», en el sentido de que ya no es necesario utilizar muestras, puesto que disponemos de todos los datos, y se llega a la conclusión de que tal argumento es al mismo tiempo demasiado optimista e innecesariamente pesimista. Se presenta una serie de aspectos epistemológicos y éticos relacionados con las repercusiones de los macrodatos en nuestra percepción, cognición, imparcialidad y privacidad así como en los debidos procesos legales. A continuación, el artículo examina la idea de la gestión de datos personales centrada en el usuario, para averiguar hasta qué punto este tipo de gestión aporta soluciones a algunos de los problemas planteados por el enigma de los macrodatos. Se presta una especial atención al principio básico de la legislación sobre protección de datos, concretamente el principio de finalidad vinculante. Para terminar, este trabajo pretende indagar en la influencia que tiene la política de los macrodatos en la persona, la mente y la sociedad, y preguntarnos cómo podemos evitar el convertirnos en esclavos de los macrodatos.