With personal data, when examining the issues of trust and security, it is important to remember that data is, at all times, owned by the data subject and that data has a value. It may be ‘leased’ to organizations, but the owner is ultimately the person who the data refers to. As with more traditional valuable assets, data is also subject to theft or malicious damage – and the more often the general public sees data breaches, the less inclined they will be to share personal data (a ‘tipping point’ was discussed earlier). With personal data being the lifeblood of the digital economy, its free flow is built on consent, and trust is crucial.