Motivations: most other measures can be argued, "we did bad, because we took a different tradeoff". This one hardly can.
We can argue on tradeoffs re: top speed (eg, mandatory or voluntary? Everyone or at-risk-only?) but the initial acceleration should be a target for all.
The purpose wouldn't be, of course, to make a ranking. It's not a zero-sum competition.
Instead, it would be to be a benchmark, and an eye-opener on what's possible and on the opportunity costs of lacking competence.
2/ The paper argues that using web history & similar inputs could unlock access to lending services.
For example, someone who scores just not enough on traditional screening methods used by banks could be included thanks to a virtuous search history.
3/ The above is true. However, it also means that people who would be "in" thanks to traditional screening methods could be excluded thanks to a less-virtuous search history.
More importantly, who decides what's a virtuous search history?
My cousin was born in a mountain village in the French Alps. Like many there, he learned to ski before reading.
I am a good skier, but I remember the humiliation when I was 14 and he was 6, seeing him surpass me, swift as a bullet.
2/ At a young age, he made it into the World Championships for his age bracket. Boy, he was fast.
His career came to an abrupt end a decade later, one injury at a time. First, he injured his ankle. Then, he broke his knee. A few more injuries later, he retired, too young.
3/ From him, I learned that the skiers that you see on TV, the fastest racers in the world, didn’t get there because they were the fastest.
They got there because they were the fastest of those who didn’t get injured into retirement.