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The February 27 issue of the Economist included a special report about data. Data is something that is all around us, and it has recently become a sexy topic. “Cloud computing” and “data mining,” are buzzwords among the tech-savvy crowd and budding entrepreneurs.  

Compiling data on users’ habits and preferences is a controversial subject, especially surrounding the Google empire and rise of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. The massive databanks that amass from the constant computing of users provide information coveted by researchers and marketers alike. Being able to have multi-faceted information about millions of people is a valuable tool.

Information on buyer habits and trends could better inform companies of cost structure and enable advertisers to efficiently target their audience. Consumer needs could be accommodated through development of new products and services. However, with any aggregation of data, there is always a security risk. It is understandable for consumers to be concerned about their privacy; even though it’s not 1984, it sometimes feels like Big Brother is watching over our shoulders.

I often ponder about the potential abuses of extensive data on individuals. The vast knowledge, from a scientific standpoint, of humans and their capabilities could project our human capital and contribution to society.  

Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law starred the 1997 movie, Gattaca (each letter represents a nucleotide), a futuristic story of a world ruled by eugenics. Though there is definitely a great chasm between collecting data via social networking sites and search history and judging humans based on eugenics, with an increase in genetic understanding, the concept is certainly not unfathomable.

There is definitely a line between what you can do and what you should do with certain information – a decision that many journalists face on a daily basis. With technology perpetually advancing things that we have only ever dreamed of have become a reality, and with that knowledge, comes a heavy social responsibility.