In the Big Data essay, I used sources to defend my thesis and two major claims. While integrating sources, I used a variety of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. When making a claim, it is imperative that there is valid evidence qualifying the claim. Evidence serves as a qualifier of the argument. My ability to integrate and explain a source is demonstrated at the beginning of my first claim:

“United States citizens benefit from the government’s ability to use big data as a way to prevent crime. An essential role of the government is to protect its citizens from others who may harm them. In the article “Big Data and Privacy”, author Tom Price discusses the use of email data by the FBI to trace the source of concerning and even threatening emails (Price 915). The use of this data has the ability to prevent violent acts and stalking. If it were not possible for the FBI to gain information about emails, stalking and harassment over email would not be controllable.”

I selected this segment from Tom Price’s article because it directly defends my claim that the government uses big data to protect citizens from harm. I briefly explained the segment and discussed a consequence of a possible counterargument.