Author: Khushi Pandey is a 2nd year student at the National Law Institute University, Bhopal.
Introduction:
The digital world today has become an all-encompassing phenomenon, with no area in one’s life a stranger to it. From the moment one’s morning starts, it is an alarm set on the phone that wakes one up. It then progresses throughout the day, filled with phone calls, emails, pictures of things necessary and non-necessary and social media, among many other things. companies around the world, it won’t be too far-fetched to say that this digital world is what controls our lives in today’s times.
But this sweeping presence of artificial intelligence around us brings along with it another not-too-welcome phenomenon, which is called Dark Data. The world of big data is primarily interested in “tangible data,” or information that is consciously accessible to the user (such as researchers, government employees, businessmen and businesswomen). “Dark data” is the opposite of “tangible data,” and is defined as data that is stored on servers that are accessible to users but whose existence is unknown to them[1]. Dark data actually is “information assets organizations collect, process and store during regular business activities, but generally fail to use for other purposes (for example, analytics, business relationships and direct monetizing).”[2] It is all that data which is produced when many individuals interact with various devices throughout their time online. It is unknown, unexploited and mainly redundant, but stored nonetheless for ethical purposes. This can comprise of data that is unstructured, difficult to access or understand, or simply not relevant to current business operations. It can include many things like data regarding employees and past clients, and can even include our past deleted photos or the ‘extra’ pictures stored in the respective smartphone company’s databases through cloud computing. In short, one may think of it as single use data, somewhat similar to single use plastic and could prove just as harmful for the environment, although in a different way.
When people and corporations around the world talk about reducing carbon footprints, Dark Data does not really feature on their lists, when the scenario should actually be the opposite of this. That probably is because one may think that this type of pollution does not hold much credence as a phenomenon, but in that case it would be helpful to know that emissions by digital data form 2.5 percent of the total global emissions, which is more than emission percentage of the aviation industry which is 2.3 percent.[3] The reason why the emissions from digital data reach such is degree is probably because around 60 percent it becomes basically useless almost immediately after it is collected.[4] Not just this, in 2020, digitization was responsible for 4 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions, which according to some studies can increase to 5.5 percent by 2025. This might not seem all that much at first sight, but can turn out to be a substantial amount once we take into consideration the global scenario. A study by Veritas Technologies found that by 2021, the practice of hoarding of dark data by companies would add up to 6.4 million tons of CO2 in the atmosphere by 2021.
Here, we will now discuss that how can something which does not even exist tangibly, amount to such high levels of pollution. All data that comes in contact with a corporation through its personnel or customers is stored in data centers. These data centers take up a considerable amount of electricity in order to keep them going and due to the cooling which is required for it to function smoothly. We can figure that by the estimate that the IT industry will be responsible for 20 percent of the total electricity consumption of the world.[5] Not just that, the hard drives employed in these data centers require constant maintenance and repair, which leads to wastage of metals and contributes to plastic waste on an astounding degree. People usually fail to grasp how big of an issue the dark data can turn into, if not taken care of properly and in time.
Now that we are talking about intangible things having a tangible effect on our surroundings, it is apparent we touch upon the concept of cryptocurrencies as well. In recent years, the market for cryptocurrencies has expanded significantly worldwide. In reality, investors from all over the world now highly prize bitcoins as an asset. Statistics show that the cryptocurrency market’s total market capitalization has surpassed USD 2 trillion at this time.[6] However, the environmental issues posed by it is a thing people seem to avoid conveniently. The carbon footprint created by cryptocurrencies in the period of mid 2021 to 2022 was approximately 27.4 million tons, which is equivalent to yearly emission of 6 million cars.[7]
An activity from which a major chunk of the carbon emissions of crypto emerges is called crypto mining. High-performance computers are used to mine bitcoins by solving challenging computational arithmetic problems that are too difficult to be solved by hand and are challenging enough to tax even the most powerful computers (Bitcoin Mining, 2021).
For their work as auditors, miners are paid. They are in charge of figuring out whether Bitcoin transactions are legitimate. The goal of this guideline is to maintain trust among Bitcoin users. By verifying transactions, miners help to avoid the “double-spending problem”.[8] The problem has grown to such a degree since the start of it all in 2020 that a legislation was passed by the New York Legislature, that put a stop on the inception of any such operations which used fossil fuel as a source of energy.
There are various things which can be done in order to put a stop on the ill effects caused by Dark data and cryptocurrencies.
In order to tackle problems related to dark data, the first step of corporations towards it should probably be to identify probable sources of dark data, which includes process like data mapping. This will help the corporations gain insight as to how the informations flow throughout is. After that, they can sift through the existing data and exclude anything they might consider unnecessary. Also, the procedure for tracking all interaction with websites should be automated, so that the large amount of data that the enterprise has to handle is streamlined and saved according to policy-based guidelines. Also, the place for storage can be reduced (like an upper cap for storage) which would help the enterprises to prioritize information.
Not only this, places like green data centers can also be used. Green data centers are data centers that prioritize sustainability and minimize their carbon footprint. They use renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, and implement energy-efficient practices such as virtualization and cooling optimization. Organizations can consider partnering with green data centers to store their data and minimize their environmental impact.
If we talk about ways to reduce emissions in the crypto arena, miners can switch to more energy-efficient hardware or adopt renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, or hydroelectric power. By using renewable energy, miners can reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future. Additionally, some cryptocurrency projects are exploring alternative consensus mechanisms that require less energy than proof-of-work, such as proof-of-stake. A way to include energy efficient measures in regular working also includes shifting to sustainable infrastructure.
We can encourage reduction of the environmental impact of cryptocurrency by encouraging more sustainable mining practices. For example, miners can be incentivized to use renewable energy or participate in energy conservation programs. Another way to do the same is to invest in carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are credits that represent the reduction of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions. By purchasing carbon offsets, cryptocurrency companies can offset their carbon emissions and reduce their overall environmental impact.
Dark data can be majorly related to data privacy, a field in which India has taken significant initiatives to build laws. Among those initiatives is the Personal Data Protection Act of 2018, which mandates for companies to understand the flow of data across their system, along with strict data governance. Proper management of dark data by enterprises is instrumental to upholding privacy of its employees and customers, and can also help with dealing with the environmental aspects of the problem. Globally, privacy laws have been introduced in many parts of the world (including but not limited to) Thailand, Brazil, Singapre and China.
When we talk about cryptocurrency scenario in India, There has been a series of events to it. Speaking of statistics, India is the second biggest investor in cryptocurrency in the world with about 7.23 percent of the population holding ownership of the same, which amounts to approximately 27 million people.[9] It started with RBI issuing a circular which restrained economic entities to trade in digital currencies. A writ petition was filed by Crypto exchange dealers against this circular, which was ultimately struck down by the Supreme Court in Internet and Mobile Association of India v Reserve Bank of India. Globally, various measures, both legal and non-legal, have been taken in order to deal with the ill environmental effects of cryptocurrency. Some of those include its banning by 9 countries, while restriction of transaction in effect in 42 countries.[10] Earlier in 2022, a coalition of green groups launched a campaign to pressure Bitcoin into changing its software – known as “proof-of-work” – to a less energy-intensive method, known as “proof-of-stake”.[11]
Conclusion
In conclusion, Dark data and cryptocurrency may hold as much potential as issues, but for that it needs to be regulated in an effective manner. Dark data can become a big mess when it comes to its cons (which include privacy and environmental related aspects) but they can be solved with the help of effective measures and thorough checks and balances, something towards which not just India but the world is progressing slowly but surely. Controlling the environmental consequences of dark data requires a combination of effective data management practices, data centre efficiency, cloud computing, data analysis, and green data centres. By implementing these practices, organizations can minimize their environmental impact and contribute to a more sustainable future.
As for cryptocurrency, some serious rules regarding its mining need to be devised. The source of electricity needs to be seriously thought of in both the cases. If the world can work together in order to keep the organisations in check and progress towards renewable source of energy, a sizeable aspect regarding global warming would be under progress towards improvement. Some ways to reduce its impacts include employing more environmentally sustainable infrastructure and hardware at its disposal. The government has surely taken some steps when it comes to organizing rules in these areas, they have mainly been economically driven. It is about time that governments not just in India but around the world start to recognize the unseen threats of dark data and cryptocurrency and take some concrete measures for the same.
[1] B Schembera, Juan M Durian, “Dark Data as the New Challenge for Big Data Science and the Introduction of the Scientific Data Officer”, < https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-019-00346-x> accessed on 4 May, 2023
[2] Gartner Glossary, https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/dark-data accessed on 20 October, 2022
[3] ‘Dark Data ‘ is killing the planet: we need digital decarbonisation, The Hindu, 30 September 2020 https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/dark-data-is-killing-the-planet-we-need-digital-decarbonisation/article65953995.ece , accessed on 20 October, 2022
[4] Sarkar Amlan, How dark data is affecting the environment, https://theswaddle.com/how-dark-data-is-affecting-the-environment/ accessed on 20 October 2022
[5] (ibid)
[6] Arjun Kharpal, “Cryptocurrency market value tops $2 trillion for the first time as ethereum hits record high” (6 April 2021, cnbc.com) < https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/06/cryptocurrency-market-cap-tops-2-trillion-for-the-first-time.html> accessed on 4 May, 2023
[7] Cost of Crypto: report says US bitcoin as dirty as 6 million cars, The Economic Times, 23 Sep 2022, https://m.economictimes.com/news/environment/pollution/cost-of-crypto-report-say-us-bitcoin-as-dirty-as-6-million-cars/amp_articleshow/94388393.cms accessed on 20 October 2022
[8] Kamshad Mohsin, “Cryptocurrency and Its Impact on Environment”, < https://deliverypdf.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=053002104002074123004006017091092125051050049050065025125086067031073105010004095110057117049061018023008096020086000008006099016012037013093004125097069097111081123051041095088069110108126121103027116113113006121116096074122010006127002086101127029111&EXT=pdf&INDEX=TRUE> accessed on 4 May, 2023
[9] “Global Crypto Adoption” , < https://triple-a.io/crypto-ownership-data/> accessed on 4 May, 2023
[10] Environmental Impacts of Cryptocurrency, Maryville University < https://online.maryville.edu/blog/environmental-impact-of-cryptocurrency/> accessed on 20 October 2022
[11] Cost of Crypto: report says US bitcoin as dirty as 6 million cars, The Economic Times, 23 Sep 2022, https://m.economictimes.com/news/environment/pollution/cost-of-crypto-report-say-us-bitcoin-as-dirty-as-6-million-cars/amp_articleshow/94388393.cms accessed on 20 October 2022