The European Commission thinks that perhaps they should. It is part of suggested new regulations that also include possible restrictions on new Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Charlotte Walker Osborn, international head of the Artificial Intelligence Group, told the BBC's Today programme that the European Commission "is seeking to allow data sharing in a manner that will help society as a whole. It talks quite a lot about the public and private sector, and the sharing of data for the greater good."

She added: "This white paper is very much Europe trying to set itself out as competitive and a trustworthy place for AI.

"But let's not forget that the investment from a monetary point of view is significantly different in the US and China, it's a much bigger scale. These rules are critical to build trust, but actually, money does talk in tech."

image caption : Google sign in London