Big data and privatisation of registers - recent developments and thoughts from a Torrens perspective

There is no doubting the value of “big data”. As we transition from an industrial economy to a “smart information” economy, access to data is becoming increasingly valued by private enterprise. The data and/or the control of access to that information is increasingly seen as a source of wealth generation, with the potential for specialised applications being developed that can be sold for significant commercial gain. For a long time, government has been the keeper (if not the creator) of much of this recorded data. The retained information is extensive. It extends to licence information, census records, health information, electoral records, firearm ownership; to name just a few.