In this talk, Pouria Hadjibagheri, Software Engineer and Data Scientist, explores the illusion of data anonymity and the urgent need for agency over our digital identities. With powerful real-life examples, he reveals how personal data shapes our lives—and calls for transparency, accountability, and a redefinition of digital privacy. Pouria is a London-based software engineer, data scientist, and cloud architect with a multidisciplinary background encompassing computational biology, bioinformatics, and large-scale data infrastructure. A passionate advocate for open data, he has designed and delivered data science and machine learning courses for doctoral programmes in the UK, Germany, and China, while engaging the public through conferences and social media to promote accessibility and transparency.He is best known for leading the UK Health Security Agency’s COVID-19 Dashboard, helping establish new standards for transparency, real-time reporting, and accessibility in government data services. In 2023, Pouria was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his contributions to data transparency, and also became a Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS). His team’s work at UKHSA was recognised with the Royal Statistical Society’s Award for Statistical Excellence. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx