Most data analytics, which is general and not used to make decisions about a specific individual, is considered low risk despite consuming vast amounts of behavioural data. Unlike stories about intimate recordings picked up by smart devices in households or the granular profiling of our online behaviour for advertising, most analytics lies under the radar of regulators and is much less talked about.

Understanding and resolving problems through insights is essential for governments, businesses as well as peoples’ daily lives. Statistics as a science emerged in the 16th century but actually statistical inference was likely used centuries earlier. Over the last 30 years with the advent of computers, data and our ability to understand it has evolved to become a major asset. Some say that the current AI is actually applied statistics.