Big Data is a pretty frightening concept for some. Companies and organizations collect vast amounts of data on people’s lives, where they live, their habits, their friends, and this can all be stored, accessed and analyzed later on. But that doesn’t mean consumers should be scared, although a degree of caution is definitely advised.

At least that’s what officials at the White House seem to think, if its new Big Data Review is anything to go by. The report, which was put together by a dedicated task force over 90 days, describes the potential and the pitfalls of Big Data, and suggests a few policies that we might want to put into place.

Your Big Data

It’s astounding what companies know about YOU. These days, many homes contain smart thermostats that limit energy consumption by learning about their occupants habits. But these same thermostats also collect data that can reveal what room the occupants are in at any given time…

GPS devices are popular too – whether its for workouts or driving or something else – but these also inform on you to app makers, letting them know what places you’ve been to. Then there’s the dastardly data brokers, who collect all kinds of seemingly random information generated by smartphones and other devices. These data brokers can build extensive profiles of individuals, and sell these not just to advertisers, but also to employers and money lenders who can use this information to discriminate.

It’s not just private companies that are lapping up Big Data – the government is in on it too. Whether its scanning license plates to track stolen cars, or payment information stores to root out improper Medicare payments, it’s your personal data that’s getting scrutinized.

Twenty years ago this level of ‘spying’ on people was impossible as everything was stored on paper – or more likely, not at all. But these days Big Data collection has become common practice, leaving official privacy protection laws trailing in its dust.

What’s your Big Data score?

The White House says that data brokers are one of the biggest concerns. These companies compile masses of data on people from hundreds of sources, including their web browsing history, social media, ad clicks, public records, credit card purchases and more. Some brokers even give individuals a ‘score’, similar to a credit score, without those individuals knowing anything about it. All of this remains completely unregulated, and consumers have no idea what data is being used to come up with those scores, whether that data contains any errors, or even how to see what their ‘score’ is.

To solve this, the White House suggests that data brokers should let people know what data they have on them, where it’s come from, where it’s being stored, and what it’s being used for. It recommends that Congress come up with new policies specifically for Big Data, and decide whether it should govern what kind of data can be collected, or more likely, how that data can be used.

Any policy change would likely take years to implement however. In the meantime, all consumers can do is be aware that everyone is a target, and that those who collect information on them have zero incentive to let them know what data is being collected. This is something that needs to change, but it will only happen if the government makes it so.

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