Chris Downs' Data Auction Methodology and Consumer Impacts

Companies usually exploit consumers' information for free, but Britain's Chris Downs is devising a way for people to cash in As shoppers rev up for the holiday season, many are turning to online auctioneer eBay for unconventional gifts -- a . . . Companies usually exploit consumers' information for free, but Britain's Chris Downs is devising a way for people to cash in As shoppers rev up for the holiday season, many are turning to online auctioneer eBay for unconventional gifts -- a set of Guinness Christmas brew from 1980, a vintage teddy bear, or perhaps a complete set of someone's personal data. Personal data? That's right.

Thirty-year-old London designer Chris Downs recently auctioned 800 pages of his personal information, including bank statements, cell-phone records, and a list of purchases from his local supermarket that includes every item he has bought in the last three years. His auction attracted 422 interested buyers. In the end, Fran Samalionis, another 30-something designer, walked off with the prize. The price: A reasonable 150 pounds or about $240.

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