Warren 1 Max Warren Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 September 25, 2013

Exploring Big Data in Its Current State

Big Data, Big Problems
hesis: !ig "ata is harm#ul because it is an in$asion o# c%ber pri$ac%, as &ell as pri$ac% in general' he (igital brea(crumbs that &e lea$e behin( in our e$er%(a% li$es can al&a%s be lin)e( bac) to us as sources' he contro$ers% create( b% the *S+ (ata mine, currentl% in construction in ,tah, is -ust a small glimpse into these problems, an( the #uture problems o# !ig "ata' Summar%: ,sing the example o# .oogle maps/ tra##ic, or the i(eas o# getting sic) reports #rom 0aceboo) an( &itter posts, sho&s the le$el o# insecurit% o# pri$ac% on the internet' he uses o# !ig "ata, collecte( in the &rong han(s, coul( ha$e serious si(e e##ects' ,sing !ig "ata to pre(ict patterns o# human beha$ior in certain situations coul( lea( to inaccurate action an( o$er reliance, an( in the &rong han(s coul( lea( to (angerous c%ber1attac)s, (ea(l% terrorist attac)s, an( serious crime' Breadcrumbs in a Digital World Imagine one (a%, %ou &a)e up in be(, an( something -ust (oesn/t #eel right' 2ou ha$e a hea(ache, a runn% nose, an( -ust #eel plain &ea) in general' What (o %ou (o3 2ou ta)e %our temperature' 2ou call in sic) to &or) or school' Ma%be %ou e$en (eci(e to (o a 4uic) .oogle search o# %our sic)

Warren 2 s%mptoms' 5ittle to %our )no&le(ge, (ata about sai( .oogle searches are being store( at this $er% moment' In 2012, accor(ing to statisticbrain'com, the a$erage number o# .oogle searches per (a% &as 5,136,000,000' hat totals to 1,783,910,000,000 .oogle searches that %ear: +n( all o# that in#ormation is processe( an( )ept on .oogle ser$ers' his is the premise behin( !ig "ata' ;5ast %ear &e all generate( so much (ata that it &oul( ta)e about <0 billion i=hones to hol( it all> ?0ran)@' hat is a lot o# (ata, but &here (i( it come #rom3 he short ans&er is e$er%&here' !e%on( .oogle searches an( internet use in general, (ata is generate( in e$er%one/s e$er%(a% li$es' 0rom basic transactions at %our #a$orite stores to the location o# %our cellphone, (ata is being generate(, collecte(, an( store( in some &a%' he reason these small trin)ets o# (ata are calle( brea(crumbs is simple' !iting into a san(&ich causes brea(crumbs to crumble o## an( #all to the #loor, lea$ing proo# that a bite o# a san(&ich &as ta)en' his same general concept can be applie( to things li)e cre(it car( purchases an( cell phone calls' Some&here is a (igital brea(crumb that pro$es that a purchase or call &as ma(e' Better Safe than Sorry !ut is all this inno$ation an( (ata mining a positi$e thing3 What is this (ata being use( #or3 +re &e sa#e3 + stor% #rom Peterborough This Week, a ne&spaper in =eterborough, Antario ma% help ans&er these 4uestions: ;+ #urious man &al)e( into a arget store in Minneapolis an( (eman(e( to )no& &h% his teenage (aughter &as sent some

Warren 3 inappropriate coupons in the mail' BSheCs still in high school an( %ouCre sen(ing her coupons #or bab% clothes an( cribs3/ he #ume(' B+re %ou tr%ing to encourage her to get pregnant3/ !ut &hen the manager calle( the (istraught (a( a couple o# (a%s later to apologiDe, he &as tol( it &asnCt necessar%' +#ter a startling tal) &ith his (aughter, the man ha( learne( she &as, in #act, pregnant'> So much #or pri$ac%E I can onl% begin to speculate &hat &as going through the (aughter/s hea( &hen her (a( came to her about coupons' Who coul(/$e )no&n that arget &oul( be responsible #or re$ealing the (aughter/s secret3 !ig "ata is responsible #or this inci(ent' Without arget/s implementation o# !ig "ata to buil( shopper pro#iles, to in this case gi$e accurate coupon (istribution, this ne$er &oul( ha$e happene(' +n( this is onl% a piece o# the puDDleE imagine i# these shopper pro#iles &ere combine( &ith other !ig "ata sets, such as .oogle searches, or cellphone location' .i$en enough time, an%one &ith the resources an( abilit% to access this (ata coul( come to )no& %ou more than %ou )no& %oursel#' !ut accurate personal pro#iles are not the onl% problem' Inaccurate pro#iling is -ust as much an issue' 0or example, sa% that %ou li$e( in a lo& income area that &as )no&n #or a large amount o# the#t' +lso sa% that there is a local grocer% store (o&n the roa( &hich %ou shop at regularl% that is also regularl% robbe(' I# a group or organiDation collecte( (ata an( #oun( that most persons &ho match %our shopping habits at sai( store &ere perpetrators o# the#ts in the area, %ou coul( be inaccuratel% place( into a

Warren 6 group o# possible the#t suspects' =recrime is gro&ing in popularit%, an( %ou coul( be arreste( #or being place( in a pro#ile that %ou (o not e$en belong, all because o# !ig "ata' Some o# these criminal -ustice implications are alrea(% in #ull s&ing' NS ! Conspiracy or "eality# In Ma% o# this %ear ?2013@, a man b% the name o# E(&ar( Sno&(en release( a number o# classi#ie( (ocuments to the public (etailing a number o# (ata mining an( collecting metho(s in use b% the ,S go$ernment' +s a contractor #or the *ational Securit% +genc%, a ,nite( States #oreign intelligence an( counterintelligence organiDation, Sno&(en ha( access to a number o# classi#ie( pro-ects aime( at (eterring an( combatting terrorism' !ut Sno&(en re$eale( that there is more to the stor%: a program calle( =FISM' his go$ernment program, co(e1name( =FISM, accesses an( stores a number o# (igital me(iums ?photos, $i(eos, chat logs, etc'@ #rom man% large internet companies such as Microso#t, .oogle, an( 0aceboo)' his is a !ig "ata base( program' It ta)es in as close to all (ata on man% in(i$i(uals #or anal%sis to buil( pro#iles o# certain ,nite( States citiDens' he ,nite( States go$ernment coul( be hol(ing in#ormation on me this $er% moment' he *S+ coul( ha$e alrea(% built a pro#ile i(enti#%ing a number o# personal habits o# mine, all o# &hich I ha$e gi$en no permission #or this to be (one'

$o% Big Data Will Sa&e the World

Warren 5 hesis: !ig "ata/s bene#its $astl% out&eigh its conse4uences' "ata inaccurac% is to be expecte( an( can be neglecte( in this case' ,sing !ig "ata, research can be con(ucte( on a nearl% real1time scale, (ecreasing things li)e illness, tra##ic, an( time nee(e( #or problem sol$ing, &hile increasing things li)e me(ical research e##icienc% an( climate pre(ictabilit%' Summar%: !rea(crumbs are generate( an( rea(il% a$ailable, there is no stopping that' his $ast amount o# (ata mining is inten(e( to be use( #or the greater goo(, an( this coul( be the case in the near #uture' !ig "ata is -ust a collection o# 1s an( 0s, an( has no lin)ing to an% particular in(i$i(ual' he implications o# !ig "ata in the me(ical #iel(, in in#rastructure, an( in problem sol$ing in general &ill bene#it societ% in masses &a%s' Stopping an Epidemic Go& to anal%De the sprea( o# (isease is one problem that coul( help be sol$e( b% !ig "ata' It/s har( to )no& exactl% &hen a person has contracte( a $irus, or &here a $irus is sprea(ing' +s it currentl% stan(s, man% researchers get (ata #rom hospitals an( (octor o##ices that report cases o# $iruses, such as the #lu, to organiDations such as the Center #or "isease Control an( =re$ention ?C"C@' he onl% problem &ith using these statistics is that the in#ormation can ta)e &ee)s to up(ate, an( b% then a $irus coul( be sprea(ing in a $er% (i##erent manner' his coul( all change &ith !ig "ata' hin) o# social me(ia #or a moment' Man% people, e$er% (a%, post status to places li)e 0aceboo) an( &itter about their health con(ition' ;I ha$e a col(>, ;I ha$e the #lu>, ;I ha$e

Warren < a #e$er>E access to locational (ata paire( &ith posts &ith )e%&or(s li)e these coul( help anal%sts buil( (ata on sprea(ing $iruses on a nearl% instant basis' =air this &ith other !ig "ata in#ormation an( it &oul( be a breeDe to buil( research o# a number o# things, li)e sprea(ing (isease' =ush this i(ea e$en #urther, an( e$entuall% a s%stem #or alerting the public to sprea(ing (isease coul( be implemente(, lo&ering the rate at &hich most $iruses sprea(' Combatting (isease also becomes easier' What more coul( be as)e( #or3 'raffic Control Ma%be impro$e( tra##ic #lo& coul( also be achie$e(' Go& coul( !ig "ata help &ith tra##ic #lo&3 .oogle has alrea(% pro$i(e( a clean example o# !ig "ata implications in tra##ic control, using .oogle Maps an( its tra##ic #eature' .oogle is able to alert, nearl% instantaneousl%, to changes in tra##ic' .oogle (oes this in a simple manner: cellphone location' ,sing the current location o# cellphones, .oogle can trac) mo$ement patterns on roa(s' When a large group o# cellphones are mo$ing slo&l% through an area, .oogle up(ates their tra##ic #eature on maps to re#lect this change' his is ho& .oogle can report an( pre(ict tra##ic, an( that is onl% using one !ig "ata set' I# local cities use these implications b%, sa%, creating a local tra##ic group an( gi$ing them access to tra##ic lights, then a cit% can (eter inner cit% bac)ups' I )no& that Charlotte coul( sure use these implications' ra##ic on Gigh&a% 26 is al&a%s bac)ing up it seems' In&asion of Pri&acy So &hat about the claims o# pri$ac% in$asion that &ere ma(e earlier3

Warren 8 [Point: Digital Breadcrumbs are always left behind.] [Point: Telemarketers exam le. !ou tele hone number.]

"omments By: #ndrew $ar er %% % like the o&erall outline of your a er and how you incor orated a little of color. % think the only thing you really need is to work on wording your sentences a little better so that your thoughts are coming across clearer. # few grammar errors. #lso try to ro&ide more sources or roof behind interesting oints you ha&e made.

Warren 7

Wor(s Cited
0ran), +(am' ;What !ig "ata Means 0or !ig Cities'> #ll Things "onsidered' Inter$ie& b% Melissa !loc), 2013' Web' 26 Sept' 2013' H!ig "ata: the goo(, the ba( an( the ugl%'H Peterborough This Week' 26 Iune 2013: =oints o# Jie& Fe#erence Center' Web' 26 Sept' 2013' H.oogle +nnual Search Statistics'H 'tatistic Brain (''' 17 Iune 2013' Web' 26 Sept' 2013' Khttp:LL&&&'statisticbrain'comLgoogle1searchesLM' [$ere is a list of references) but ha&e not incor orated them in my a er yet.] !er)es, Go&ar(' H!ooting ,p: *e& *S+ "ata 0arm a)es Foot In ,tah'H *P(' *=F, n'(' Web' 28 Act' 2013' Cu)ier, Nenneth an( Ji)tor Ma%er1Schoenberger' H he C!ig "ataC Fe$olution: Go& *umber Crunchers Can =re(ict Aur 5i$es'H *P(' *=F, n'(' Web' 26 Sept' 2013' Cu)ier, Nenneth an( Ji)tor Ma%er1Schoenberger' H he Fise A# !ig "ata'H 0oreign +##airs 92'3 ?2013@: 28' Points of +iew (eference "enter, n'(' Web' 26 Sept' 2013' 0ran), +(am' H+ !ra$e *e& Worl(: !ig "ataCs !ig "angers'H *P(' *=F, n'(' Web' 28 Act' 2013' .ellman, !arton an( 5aura =oitras' H,'S', !ritish Intelligence Mining "ata #rom *ine ,'S' Internet Companies in !roa( Secret =rogram'H Washington Post' he Washington =ost, 08 Iune 2013' Web' 28 Act' 2013' =appalar(o, Ioe' H*S+ "ata Mining: Go& It Wor)s'H Po ular ,echanics' =opular Mechanics, n'(' Web' 28 Act' 2013'