Duke and LabCorp turn mill town into a biobank using Facebook’s business model
by Veronica Combs
Jaron Lanier is a computer scientist who thinks that Facebook should pay users for their data. After all it’s the content from individual users that has enabled the company to become a billion-dollar business ($1.81 billion in Q2 2014). Without users posting comments and pictures and links, what does Facebook have? Nothing. How do users benefit from donating all this information? They get to stay in touch with people, yes, but users also provide detailed market research for free – and get to participate in manipulative research projects at no extra charge.
The story of a former mill town in North Carolina shows how biobanks could build the same business model that Facebook has used so successfully. The BioMarker Factory is getting residents to donate their genetic information with all the financial benefit going to the bank and none to the individuals.
The short backstory of this project is that a billionaire who is obsessed with eternal life bought the mill in Kannapolis, North Carolina, that used to be the town’s main employer – 4,300 jobs. David H. Murdock tore down the factory and is building a biotech research center in its place. The plan is to conduct life sciences research and ultimately bring 5,000 highly skills jobs to the town. Currently there are plenty of opportunities to make a little money as a research subject. Kannapolites can earn anywhere from $30 to $250 by participating in studies of nutrition, longevity, or cognitive or physical performance.
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