​Speaker: Sam Gilbert author of 'Good Data: an optimist's guide to our digital future'

The dystopian narrative of digital surveillance, unaccountable abuses of personal data and inscrutable black boxes making a mockery of cherished liberties and even compromising human autonomy is common in the media. But it is a bit more complicated than that - our society has always been transformed (revolutionised perhaps) by new technology, and that has many benefits. Sam Gilbert has written a book with an alternative perspective on how data may be the route to a better future, and it deserves a hearing. We present Sam in discussion with Brian Tarran, editor of the RSS magazine Significance, and other guests. At the heart of this is perhaps the data is neither good nor bad, but passive in the human schemes (which can be both) - ethics is about bringing values into focus in ordinary life, so we can choose the good data future.