The Even Spookier Side of Data Analytics

September 08, 2011

Government intelligence agencies are some of the biggest buyers of low-cost technology to track users' moves on the Internet

In this article it discusses how the government is purchasing low-cost equipment for analytical comprehension of any person in the in the environment of none other than cyberspace. The scary part is that intelligence agencies are now funding analytical startups. Hadoop, for example is a software that is very prominent to this venture. Another important aspect of this is that they are building their own analytical tools as well. This seems to be how the market can be very low-priced. “Two years ago the National Security Agency talked publicly about creating a new type of technology that would grab “essentially every kind of data there is.” Technology is on its way to more and more advances each and every year that is leading us to the path of having a completely different perspective of what “privacy” really is. This is something that is so powerful when fully developed it could be potentially harmful because of the responsibility that needs to be held within the controllers of this technology. Earlier in time, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency called for a 42 million dollar proposal to further be able to analyze social media to a fine point. To me this is outrageous, there is no need for protocols like this and they are just doing this to open the doors of people’s personal information or material online and for better advertising. This is the big business’ way to try to stay ahead of their competition and to get more personal with their clients and other consumers around the globe. “We must eliminate our current reliance on a combination of luck and unsophisticated manual methods,” the agency said. The agency involved wants more concrete facts and it seems that they might be close enough to actually cross the line.