FT Rethink

Is data the new oil?

In the past, Big Data was often compared to oil, because companies could get rich off their deep wells of information. But just like oil, data can be ‘spilled’, with serious consequences. Now privacy activists are turning to the early environmentalists for inspiration.

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FT Rethink

FT Channels, a partnership destination that combines impactful and enriching multimedia content to spark curiosity and encourage discovery. Each vertical brings expert insights from the Financial Times and our Partners into the most pressing issues of our time.


FT Rethink series focuses on the people, technology, strategies and systems moving us from an economy that is wasteful, idle, lopsided and dirty towards one that is circular, lean, inclusive and clean. The channel alternates between independent reporting from FT journalists and business perspectives from Lombard Odier