Firstly, it’s about the vague privacy policies of the apps we use. If an app developer decides to monetize advertising (as Facebook and Google do), it would be heavily paid by investors for collecting as much user data as possible and what the fine print in the privacy policy says in most cases? It collects data as a ‘Business asset’ and if the company gets sold, all the data can go to another company- Trite but true.
Secondly, it’s about the Analytical challenges. Here the important questions are: Does all data need to be stored? Does all data need to be analysed? How to find out which data points are really important? “People give out their data often without thinking about it and the consequences can be gruesome.”, said Viviane Reding (European commission vice-president). An example where a person discovered his teenage daughter was pregnant because coupons for baby food were arriving at his address from the store of a different city- speaks a lot about how far Big data can track us down.
Thirdly, the derived conclusions from unstructured data that includes every kind of data produced. From the status updates, friend requests, social calendars to search strings on Google, locations on mobile phones and purchase history. This is the data information that's too cumbersome yet it is being used by institutions to identify what people want before they are even aware they want it.
Lastly, it's about too much reliance on Big Data. Depending completely on data for decision making can be dodgy for a business. Many factors which are as critical as data, such as end results, planning, trust, respect, instinct etc. are often overlooked in a desire to blindly rely on data. The real concern in big data analytics should be a thorough understanding of the data being used to gather insights and provide more value to customer experience.
The main issue that we are currently negotiating is: Which is more important- Rights of the Individual or Rights of Knowledge?" Big data should aim for Privacy by Design which means companies initiating a hallmark system that informs users that the privacy policy adheres to the guidelines.
According to me there should be a transparency in the system where users can choose the data they want to share with the company and if they really do so, they are truly interested as a customer; they want to get all the information and want to get analysed of what they are doing.
And for the above positive changes to happen where people become aware of how these technologies work and of their tangible clear values and benefits, it will require time and an even balance between the Right to Knowledge and the Right to Individual.
The only hope is - Let that time come soon!
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