Month: April 2018

The utilization of big data by the United States government provides benefits to public safety through foreign and domestic crime prevention which drastically outweigh the concerns of privacy invasion.

I have decided that for my Big Data project, I definitely would like to use Glenn Greenwald’s TED Talk, “Why Privacy Matters”.  I agree with him that the internet is no longer a place of liberation, but I do not agree that the internet is a place for ‘surveillance’. There is a difference between surveillance and the mass collection of data. Additionally, I agree with the claim that people who claim privacy does matter actually value privacy greatly, as shown by their actions. Greenwald discusses the idea of the CEO of Google being a hypocrite for not liking an online magazine for posting personal information about him, even though he gathers information from Google users. Again, there is a distinct difference between the collection of data for private investigation and the mass collection of data to view trends and see what is popular. This is something I would want to learn more about. I want to know what data is being collected for and how it is being used. I also want to know how personal it is to each online user. My view on big data right now is not on a specific side, but rather complicating the arguments of both those who believe big data is harmful and those who believe big data is helpful. I do not think privacy is a concern if there are computer programs being coded to show ads based on search history. I do think it is an invasion of privacy, however, to view the medical records of a specific person without having permission from the patient, no matter what the use is.