Managing Big Data
“Big data” has become a frequent and growing topic of conversation in the last few years. Along with the many perks of having access to big data, there are also many red flags, or concerns, that it brings. But what exactly is “Big data?” Big data is defined as, “Extremely large data sets that may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior and interactions.”
This week I watched a few videos and read an article concerning big data and I wanted to share with all of you what I learned and some of my thoughts for discussion.
When companies begin analyzing large data sets to reveal patterns in human behavior, there comes in to play a lot of moral questions involving information privacy. Should companies be able to gather data on our behavior? Can those companies sell the data they gather about you to other companies? These are just a few of the basic questions that are asked.
This is already happening, everyday, all around us. Have you been discussing a brand or a product with a friend recently and then see an ad for that product or company on your Facebook timeline or in a Snapchat ad shortly after? This is big data at work. For some, an uncomfortable feeling accompanies this occurrence. We are not used to technology being able to do this yet. We are not fully comfortable and some feel an invasion of privacy.
The truth? You make the decision to allow companies to do this. For every set of “Terms and Conditions” you agree to, you are allowing companies to listen in if you will. Most all companies do not use this data that they gather for harm, rather they do it to increase sales and reach customers in a way they never could before. We have seen, however, instances recently where information has not been kept as secure as it should. Facebook recently was found to be keeping over 600 million users’ passwords in their company system without encryption for employees to view.
We live in a world where our personal information is becoming increasingly at risk for abuse. Passwords, account names, account numbers, and even social security information are all at risk for being sold and used inappropriately. This may seem like something that will unlikely happen to you, but the risk is real and it is there.
Check out the links below to watch/read what I did and learn more about managing “Big data” and and how it relates to personal information privacy:
The End of Privacy. "The Data Brokers: Selling Your Personal Information." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAT_ina93NY
Ceglowski, Maciej. “The Internet With a Human Face: Beyond Tellerrand Düsseldorf, 2014.” https://vimeo.com/102717446
Zuckerman, Ethan. “The Internet's Original Sin.” https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/08/advertising-is-the-internets-original-sin/376041/
