Originally people thought that algorithms based on data would allow for a purely pragmatic and logical approach to numerous aspects of life from employment, to judicial sentencing, to college admissions, to ad targeting, to manufacturing, and beyond.
However, the flaw is that humans are not pragmatic and our needs, motivations, desires, etc. are not logical and are not influenced by logic. So a world driven by Big Data is anti-humanity. It can not allow for chance or surprise, so it forces the society into stagnation and prevents people with new ideas from reaching their potential.
So did we go wrong? Has big data turned into the warden of a logic prison that the human soul has been imprisoned within?
>>2 Do you not understand that big data is a term with a specific meaning? There isn't another phrase you can use in its place that coveys the same meaning as efficiently.
>>8 Big data refers to the aggregation of data points from every aspect of your life, painting a granular picture of behaviors and outcomes. There has never been a time before where reliable data could be collected on everybody on Earth and be so detailed as to paint a full picture of each person. That is why we need the term Big Data rather than some off-brand, cobbled-together bullshit like "inferential statistics"(lol wtf).
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Anonymous2016-09-10 8:09
>>10 Big Data is just a buzzword like Enterprise-Grade. Thats why you see it alot.
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Anonymous2016-09-10 9:34
Once upon a $timestamp there lived in a certain $postcode a little average human, the most pathethic creature who was ever seen. Her government was excessively fond of her; and Statistics wanted her still more. This good science had a Little Red Data Point made for her. It studied the human so extremely well that everybody called her Little Red Data Point.
One day her government, having made new privacy laws, said to her, "Go, my dear, and lets see how your Statistics is doing, for I hear its lacking. Take her this personal data, and this little tracking device."
Little Red Data Point set out dutifully to deliver the device to Statistics, who lived in clouds.
As she was going through the life, she met with many a computer, who had a very Big AI to measure her up, but they dared not, because of some data privacy laws and lack of storage. They asked her where she was living, what was her gender, age, real name . The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to leave personal data to a computer, said to him, "I am going to see my personal Statistics and carry her some personal data and a little tracking device from my government."
"How do you think its used?" queried the computer
"Oh I say," answered Little Red Data Point; "it is beyond that network you see there, at the database servers somewhere in the cloud. Its completely safe and private."
"Well," said the computer, "and I'll go and see it too. I'll go this way and do that, and we shall see who will be there."
The computer ran as fast as he could, taking the shortest datapath, and the little girl took a roundabout way, entertaining herself by spilling personal data, running into usage patterns, and ammasing trails of little facts. It was not long before the computer arrived at the Statistics of her. He logged to the cloud: beep, beep.
"Whats's there?"
"Your dataset on Little Red Data Point is ready" replied the computer, sampling her latest activity; "who has brought you lots of personal information and a little tracking device by the government."
The good Statistics, who was on-site physically, because she was somewhat old-fashioned, send query out: is it still "enter the password to log in"?
The computer measured the database, and the amount of personal data gathered, and then he immediately spit "possibility of adding more data gathering points" per Statistics, "change in login system required" . He then shut the login and got into the Statistics's cache of facts, all pointing that Little Red Data Point wiil comply, who came some time afterwards and loaded the front page: click, click.
"Do you have nothing to hide?"
Little Red Data Point, hearing the Big Voice, was at first afraid; but believing there was a need and it was justified, answered, "It is your loyal user Little Red Data Point, who has brought you personal data and a little tracking device government gave me."
The computer cried out to her, softening his message as much as he could, "Enter the password and add your phone number, this is for security purposes to verify your login."
Little Red Data Point entered the password and phone number, and the login succeded.
The computer, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the EULA, "Put the personal data and the little tracking device upon the scanner, and come get into the site with me. We will disclose how we use your data later."
Little Red Data Point took off her privacy and got into the site. She was greatly amazed to see how Statistics looked at her private data, and said to her, "Statistics, what big capture networks you have!"
"All the better to analyze you with, my dear."
"Statistics, what big data you have!"
"All the better to run analyses on you, my dear."
"Statistics, what big clouds you have!"
"All the better to operate with, my dear."
"Statistics, what big software you have!"
"All the better to infer connections about you, my dear."
"Statistics, what big government contract you have got!"
"All the better to seize you up with and its completely legal"
And, saying these words, this wicked computer fell upon Little Red Data Point, and added her to the database.
Records^1 is the internet. Vast, searchable, publicly accessible. Generally useful. Records^2 is the agencies. Their conflicted motto Record Everything, Never Record Anything is testament to their confused nature. Records^3 is the whistle-blowers. Much to the chagrin of R^2, R^3 released Summaries of some of the Records of Records that the agencies have been collecting.
The only real way to secure R^2 is to release it to R^1. Only then will we know how R^2 can be abused, and as such what shouldn't be recorded, rather than what shouldn't be released.