Data Repurposing through Compatibility: A Computational Perspective

TL;DR

This paper analyzes purpose compatibility assessment as a key legal and computational mechanism enabling data reuse in new contexts, highlighting its potential beyond traditional standards to foster innovation.

Contribution

It offers a computational perspective on purpose compatibility, critiques current purpose formulations, and advocates for a broader, more constructive approach to data repurposing.

Findings

Compatibility assessment facilitates data reuse beyond original purposes.

Current purpose formulations hinder meaningful data repurposing.

Proposes a broader, more flexible framework for purpose compatibility.

Abstract

Reuse of data in new contexts beyond the purposes for which it was originally collected has contributed to technological innovation and reducing the consent burden on data subjects. One of the legal mechanisms that makes such reuse possible is purpose compatibility assessment. In this paper, I offer an in-depth analysis of this mechanism through a computational lens. I moreover consider what should qualify as repurposing apart from using data for a completely new task, and argue that typical purpose formulations are an impediment to meaningful repurposing. Overall, the paper positions compatibility assessment as a constructive practice beyond an ineffective standard.