The New York Times: Privacy issues in the big data age

Beijing Time March 25 news, the recent "New York Times" online version of the article said, with the continuous development of science and technology, mankind is about to usher in a large data era, but in the development of large data, people are increasingly worried about privacy protection issues. A report by the World Economic Forum stressed the need to protect people's privacy by using High-tech tools, but many experts disagree. The study of large data has yet to be studied.

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In the the 1960s, advances in technology enabled mainframe computers to challenge traditional notions of privacy. At the same time, the federal government has started to invest a lot of money in developing this new technology, and the Consumer credit bureau is starting to build databases containing millions of people's financial information. Many people are concerned that new computer data banks are likely to be invaded by others and that their privacy will be threatened.

"It really scares people," said Daniel J. Weitzner, the Obama administration's former Internet policy official, Wetzna. "People who are worried about privacy being stolen are looking at it all the time, just like we are now," he said. ”

Despite concerns about privacy, of course, these mainframe computers have helped us develop and innovate, as well as bring us into the computer age. Today, many experts predict that the next era is likely to be driven by large numbers of data, including Web pages, browsing habits, sensor signals, smart phone location tracking, genetic information, and so on. The combination of large data and smart software will generate tremendous energy.

Proponents of this new technology say the technology allows us to look at things in ways that are never seen before, just as microscopes enable the scientific community to see the cells of life. The big data, they say, will make smarter decisions in all areas, be it business, biology, health care and environmental protection.

"This data is our new asset," said Alex Pentland, an MIT computational social scientist and director of the Human Dynamics Laboratory. "You would want this data to flow up and use it." ”

But the recent massive advances in data collection have once again raised concerns about privacy, a matter of vital importance that could lead to a major breakthrough in "Big Data". Professor Puntland supports big data and believes that the future is a data-driven era. But he admits that because the technology does have the potential to monitor people's lives, its popularity could violate people's privacy.

Last month, the World Economic Forum published a report offering solutions to protect privacy through high-end technology. The report was completed last year by a number of research privacy activists and organizations, sponsored by the World Economic Forum, government officials, privacy advocates and business executives in member States. The final report is completed mostly by the Forum's company members.

The title of the report is: "The value of releasing personal information: from collection to use". The report recommends shifting the focus from management to limiting the use of data. According to the report, the use of new technologies to limit personal data can allow individuals to control their own information security while also enabling the free use of important data assets.

"There is no bad data, only the irrational use of the data," said Craig Mundie, head of Microsoft's research and strategy department, who mundie the report.

The report also responds to the Early Privacy Protection Act. The Fair Credit Report Act, adopted in 1970, is an effective protection against the privacy of large Fair. The bill allows credit consultancy firms to collect personal financial information, but the information collected can only be used in three areas: credit, insurance and employment.

The report, released by the World Economic Forum, suggests that in the future, all data collection should be based on a password, which can be a preference for how individuals use their data. All use of data should be registered, and penalties should be imposed for those who violate the rules. For example, the violation of data is most likely to be a smartphone application that stores unwanted data that it does not need.

Members of the forum said they had realised that privacy protection was a problem that had to be addressed if useful data were to be used.

George C. Halvorson, chairman of the famous Caesar Fund medical institution (Kaiser Permanente), George Holvesen The database of his growing 9 million patients, which allows them to track patients ' illnesses to improve medical quality, In the treatment of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, the database plays a particularly important role. New smartphone apps, he says, Herald more convenience in the future. For example, when a chronically depressed patient's mobile rate drops abruptly, they call to check their condition.

"We are in the golden age of Medical science," Halverson said. "But the destruction of privacy will destroy the process." ”

Company executives and privacy-protection experts agree that the best way to solve this problem is to combine new regulations with high technology. But some privacy experts say the approach in the report is too trusting of high technology, but not much for strong regulations, especially the shift in the focus to limiting data collection.

"We do need control, but the problem is that we are getting rid of data collection controls," said David Vladeck, a professor of law at Georgetown University, Frajek. "But that's where we're heading." ”

"I don't agree with the idea that all the data are harmless as long as it is reasonably used," Frajek, director of the FTC's Consumer protection bureau.

He tells an example: Imagine spending hours on the internet looking for information about a frying pan. You may be looking for a gift for a friend, or you may be looking for information about a culinary school. But for a data digger, he can track all the pages you've clicked, and your information can be interpreted as an unhealthy eating habit. This data-based information is likely to reach the hands of health advisers or potential employers.

Professor Puntland, a consultant for the World Economic Forum's "big Data" and personal data reports, agreed that the collection of data should not be restricted as long as the method was flexible and not detrimental to the public interest.

The MIT Media Research Laboratory He leads is a global leader in the research of personal data, privacy protection programs, and real-world experiments. He supports the three principles he calls "new data resolutions": You have the right to have your data, you have the right to use the data, you have the right to destroy or contribute your data.

Professor Puntland says that personal data, like money in modern life, is just a digital wallet revolving around the Earth and running fast and needs to be controlled. "You deposit money in a bank, but there are many different ways to use it." ”

The research team led by Puntland is developing tools to control, store, and examine the flow of personal data. Its data store is open source and is called an open PDS. In theory, this type of technology weakens the role of data proxies and may also reduce the risk of privacy being stolen. For example, in the search for a frying pan, a check-in tool can detect unauthorized use.

The research team in Puntland is also collaborating with a number of legal experts, such as Scott David of the University of Washington. The aim is to be able to develop terms that are innovative in processing and exchanging data, which ensures privacy and reduces risk.

The team is still working on some life-lab projects. The project began recently in Lanto, Italy, and cooperated with the Italian telecom and Telefónica. About 100 young families with children participated in the project. The goal of the project is to investigate what information participants share in smartphones and social and medical services, and to what extent they share this information and their view of privacy "Like any new thing," says Prof Puntland, "people have a wide range of views on big data, privacy, and data sharing." These are all rooted in their own thoughts and personal biases. "What we do is study hard and learn." ”

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)