1102 - Max Warren - Final Draft [Markup]

8/13/2019 1102 - Max Warren - Final Draft [Markup]

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Warren 1

Max Warren

Instructor: Malcolm Campbell

English 1102

September 25, 2013

What is the Big Deal with Big Data?

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 aceboo) 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' !ut on another si(e, the bene#its o# !ig "ata

to research coul( out&eigh the (etriments' !ig "ata &oul( ma)e sampling

an( causation research a thing o# the past' sing !ig "ata to pre(ict

patterns o# human beha$ior coul( lea( to (isco$eries about humanit% unli)e

an% seen be#ore' !ut in certain situations, the use o# !ig "atacoul( lea( to

inaccurate action an( o$er reliance, an( in' Inthe &rong han(s, thiscoul(

lea( to (angerous c%berattac)s, (ea(l% terrorist attac)s, an( serious crime'

Breadcrumbs in a Digital World


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Warren 2

Imagine one (a%, %ou &a)e up in be(, an( something -ust (oesn/t #eel

right' ou ha$e a hea(ache, a runn% nose, an( -ust #eel plain &ea) in

general' What (o %ou (o ou ta)e %our temperature' ou call in sic) to &or)

or school' Ma%be %ou e$en (eci(e to (o a 4uic) .oogle search o# %our sic)

s%mptoms' ittle 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' ;ast %ear &e all generate( so much (ata that it &oul( ta)e

about ?ran)@' hat is a lot o# (ata, but &here

(i( it come #rom 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'

rom 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


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Warren 3

!ut is all this inno$ation an( (ata mining a positi$e thing What is this

(ata being use( #or +re &e sa#e + 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

inappropriate coupons in the mail' BShes still in high school an( %oure

sen(ing her coupons #or bab% clothes an( cribs/ he #ume(' B+re %ou

tr%ing to encourage her to get pregnant/ !ut &hen the manager

calle( the (istraught (a( a couple o# (a%s later to apologiDe, he &as

tol( it &asnt necessar%' +#ter a startling tal) &ith his (aughter, the

man ha( learne( she &as, in #act, pregnant'>

So much #or pri$ac% 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 secret

!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

puDDle 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' or example, sa% that %ou li$e( in a lo&


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Warren 6

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

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'

NSA: Consiracy 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(ename( =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( aceboo)' his is a !ig

"ata base( program' It ta)es in as close to all (ata on man% in(i$i(uals #or


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Warren 5

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'

"ow Big Data Will Sa#e the World

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% realtime 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'

Stoing an $idemic

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


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Warren "ll Things #onsidered'

Inter$ie& b% Melissa !loc), 2013' Web'26 Sept' 2013'

ran), +(am' H+ !ra$e *e& Worl(: !ig "atas !ig "angers'H )P%' *=F, n'('

Web' 28 Act' 2013'

.ellman, !arton an( aura =oitras' H'S', !ritish Intelligence Mining "ata

#rom *ine 'S' Internet Companies in !roa( Secret =rogram'H

Washington Post' he Washington =ost, 08 une 2013' Web' 28 Act'

2013'

H.oogle +nnual Search Statistics'H $tatistic Brain %$$' 17 une 2013' Web'

26 Sept' 2013' Khttp:LL&&&'statisticbrain'comLgooglesearchesL'HIs

=ri$ac% =ossible in the "igital +geH +snbc.com' *'p', n'(' Web' 03

"ec' 2013'

=appalar(o, oe' H*S+ "ata Mining: Go& It Wor)s'H Poular +echanics'

=opular Mechanics, n'(' Web' 28 Act' 2013'

Documents

1102 - Max Warren - Final Draft [Markup]