Big Data: What to be Aware of
With big data comes an even larger responsibility. Businesses and consumers can leverage many opportunities with big data, but should also be aware of the many threats it can pose. Finding a way to balance the opportunities and threats associated with big data can help keep business and consumer’s data secure.
For businesses, big data offers many opportunities to get to know customers’ likes and behaviors. It can also provide the opportunity to test a product and see how it is performing. The ability to do this comes with its threats. Whenever storing large amounts of consumer data, businesses are at risk for hackers to steal data. This can cause customers to lose trust.
Additionally, businesses are at risk for having data on their products hacked. Trade secrets, product performance, algorithms, code, and much more can be compromised in a business if you do not take the proper actions to prevent it. A lot of companies react too hacking instead of preparing for it. With large amounts of data now being stored it is important to think about how you can keep your data secure.
As consumers, we are offered a lot of technology at our palms for free. It is free most of the time of you are talking money, however, most of us are actually paying in the form of personal information. Every time you take a picture of your bank card with your phone, or for some reason take a picture of a social security card or birth certificate, this can be stored in the cloud. If hacked, someone could find and use your information.
It is important as a consumer to make sure you are protective of your personal information or anything that you wouldn't want compromised. Sometimes we trust blindly and then can be compromised. In the video below, it discusses how those who used Target and Home Depot credit cards were at risk for their information being compromised because of hackers.
Once your information is out there and possibly being sold and resold, you really have no control over it or what people that have access to it are going to use it for. So, do not blindly give information and take action to change accounts and passwords if you are ever potentially at risk for having your information compromised.
To learn more about Big Data check out Douglas LaLone’s discussion about the legal side of big data below:
https://chipcast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=4fe95594-73e5-4b1a-8a3c-83896b88b6d9
