The Database: Collecting the world's financial data

We investigate how some private companies use personal financial information and the human impact this has.

What do you do if your bank account suddenly gets closed and you and your business can no longer function - and you have no idea why?

You discover it is because you are on a database that you did not even know existed, saying that you have links with "terrorism" and therefore few banks will deal with you.

This happened to two organisations in London which were listed on a database used by the banking system to combat money laundering and other financial crimes.

AI and our health data: A pandemic threat to our privacy

The coronavirus pandemic gives big tech firms a chance to access the holy grail of datasets - medical records.

AI and our health data: A pandemic threat to our privacy

Put yourself in the shoes of the NHS, the United Kingdom's tax-payer funded public health service. You treat about a million patients every 36 hours and that is pre-pandemic. The amount of health data you are now churning out is enormous - and you want to harness that data in the fight against COVID-19.

So you turn to the private sector and get technology companies to help you do that. Seems to make sense, but here is the issue: Companies with chequered histories over data handling start landing those contracts. And, to date, the British government has refused to disclose the contractual terms

Can data tracking curtail the Coronavirus pandemic? | Covid-19 Special

Data might be one of the key weapons to curtail the Coronavirus pandemic. The data on our smartphones, for example. It can show nearly every step we take and every step people around us take. Scientists estimate that one infected person passes the virus on to around 2-3 people on average. So what if we used all the data that we already have on our smartphones to track people infected with the Coronavirus? Warn those who had contact with a carrier ?

How safe is your personal information on the internet?

With several recent data breaches, are governments and companies doing enough to protect our information online?




In today's digital world, data is king. And as we move more and more of our lives online, the risk of fraud and identity theft grows ever larger.

Hundreds of billions of dollars are lost every year because of cyber attacks, and it's something that affects us all; individuals, businesses and governments alike.

In February, hackers accessed an account held by Bangladesh's central bank at New York's Federal Reserve. They tried to steal almost a billion dollars - and managed to get $81 million. It's been described as the biggest online theft in history.

Now, it's been revealed they did it using SWIFT, the global financial network that banks use to transfer billions of dollars every day.

Officials from SWIFT warned customers this week that hackers are also targeting other financial institutions using their network.