[LINK] Big Data - bad or otherwise

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Janet writes,

> (Big data) is an investment looking for a return.
> It is a magical word covering all kinds of data collection.
> Climate data and personal health data are not the same thing
> but now there is a term which paints them the same colour.
> It just looks like we are selecting for dependence on mass
> investment in data harvesting.


Often big data started out as an almost nuisance by-product of modern 
consumer tech systems, Maybe it was saved by the service provider and
often not. For example, for many years your Internet Service Provider
has had Squid Logs that record every customer web destination. In the
past often logs were not saved. But seemingly all of a sudden, it was
realized that such tech-customer data, with appropriate analysis, had
predictive value and hence monetary value regarding customer & client 
behavior. Now businesses are wondering how to cash-in on big data and
governments are wondering what public legal protections are justified.

For eg, the car company Ford appears puzzled regarding their big data:

 <http://www.businessinsider.com.au/ford-exec-gps-2014-1> Jan 9th 2014

Ford’s Global VP/Marketing & Sales, Jim Farley, said.. something about
data privacy today at CES, the big electronics trade show in Las Vegas.

Because of the GPS units installed in Ford vehicles, Ford knows when its 
drivers are speeding, and where they are, while they’re doing it.

Farley was trying to describe how much data Ford has on its customers, and 
illustrate the fact that the company uses very little of it in order to 
avoid raising privacy concerns: "We know everyone who breaks the law, we 
know when you’re doing it. We have GPS in your car, so we know what you’re 
doing. By the way, we don’t supply that data to anyone," he told attendees.

Rather, he said, he imagined a day when the data might be used anonymously 
and in aggregate to help others with traffic related problems. Suppose a 
stadium is holding an event; knowing how much traffic is making its way 
toward the arena might help the venue change its parking lot resources 
accordingly, he said. (End quote)


So, many people are still confused re such system by-products as big data.

We are now at the stage where we'll need to examine data issues with care.


Cheers,
Stephen
 


 





Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server