Big Data: ‘Mined’ My Business? Essay

Understanding the purchasing behavior of a specific demographic is one of the most important sets of research data available to marketers. To develop a strategic plan to present your products in a way that produces the most optimal buying behavior, one needs to understand what the target audience avoids as much as what triggers them to spend their money. (Marketing Land, 2014)

These extremely large data sets may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations relating to human behavior and interaction. These analysesaffect us on day to day basis positively and negatively and the legality of how this information is collected and the laws that apply may be unclear. Both with or without users' knowledge, consumer personal data is collected from every daily, digital activity; from purchases, web searches, amazon searches, browsing history, and phone use. This data is generated, and then downloaded and stored. [15] Companies can then use this data to create "data sets" or large files of users' data to produce customer profiling. This data can also be used by police, the governmental bodies, scientists, businesses, military, and other industries where occasional breaches of data are expected .[16] Breaches and leaks of personal information including phone calls, credit card information, home address, and personal phone numbers are examples of information that is logged and stored by these corporations while making "data sets". Much of this information is being processed and sold to marketers for the purpose of marketing their products. This information is stored digitally and in some cases, regardless of the security of the information being stored, there are risks of unauthorized parties

Although technology has provided tools to enhance our capabilities in things such as finding a missing person, solving murder cases based on technological assets etc.., this technology also leaves us vulnerable in many ways to slowly losing our privacy (Burten, C., 2012).

Imagine, that you come back from a hard day’s work. You put on your favorite grey sweats with a cozy sweater. Soon after, you get a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows. Then you lean back on the sofa, turn on the television and change the channel to the local news. Breaking news with bright red letters are plastered across the screen. The news anchor goes on explaining that an employee at the local hospital accidentally donated data of patients. This means that patient’s social security numbers, addresses, medical records, and other personal information, were given away without patients’ permission or consent. At that moment you realize that all your personal information is out there for everyone to see and use; and there is nothing you can do about it. The collection of personal information is called data mining, and is collected through large online databases. The real question is that data mining violating our privacy and rights? Why are companies still collecting our personal information without our consent and how can we protect ourselves from breaches? Data mining should be limited in the United States and needs to undergo more appropriate privacy and security policies to protect citizens privacy.

We live in a society where it pays to watch your neighbor. Weather it's their favorite movie, shopping habits, or birthday, we can use information to market our products, sending our ads at the right time. Not only is this data gathering legal, you agree to the terms anytime you buy a new phone or download an app. Both the process and results, of “data mining”, are harmful to the individual and the society. In 1984, Big Brother uses his authority and surveillance abilities to survey the population.

How Target Figured Out a Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did In her article “How Target Figured out a Teen Girl Was Pregnant before Her Father Did”, Kashmir Hill, analyzes the tactics Target uses to pinpoint specific information from you regarding your visit to their store. These tactics in which Target uses, make it appear no direct targeting was done to the customer by using your previous purchases, thus outsmarting the competition. Hill sets out to present her article in a way that makes one second guess providing their information to stores. One example Hill gives in her article is how Target has found a way to gather information simply by a person using their credit card, providing a phone number, email address, or by using your loyal rewards card that so many companies are offering. Based on the findings from that information, Target began sending out coupon related flyers to individuals based off the history of items

For many years, advertisers had tried to find out an efficient way to understand their target markets and the customers. Before the age of information system, it was difficult to track their customers efficiently, and therefore they were like swimming in the dark when they dealt with the customers. They could only make the very broad target customers and send them advertisements through newspapers, television, magazines, or other media. However, this traditional method of sending advertisements to everybody that the companies could reach was not working well, since it ignored the demands of the receivers. However, along with data mining, it brings a business revolution to the whole world.

Understanding consumer behaviour is essential to succeed in business. As Solomon et al. (2013) stresses, businesses exist to satisfy consumer’s needs. By identifying and understanding the factors that influences their customers, firms have the opportunity to develop a more efficient strategy, marketing message and advertising campaigns that is more in line with the needs and ways of thinking of their target consumers (Perreau, 2015).

Target, one of the nation’s largest retailers, had a data breach that had up to 40 million consumers have their credit card and debit card data stolen, while up to 70 million had their personal information stolen such as their addresses and phone numbers. Information from the credit and debit cards stolen was the names, the card numbers, expiration date and the CVV (card verification value). The consumer information that was stolen such as names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and even email addresses. The breach took place during the holiday shopping rush of 2013. This breach damaged Target’s sales during the holiday season, and remains one of the largest data breaches in history.

In this article How Does Target Know so Much about Its Customers? Utilizing Customer Analytics to Make Marketing Decisions, the authors describe the kinds of data needed to recognize changes in a consumer’s habits, privacy concerns that occur when data mining, and marketing decisions made from the information. Whenever shoppers make a purchase or browse their Web site, Target gathers customer information, analyzes it, and might sell the data to other businesses. In fact, all three authors explained, “Target Corporation is a leader in analyzing vast amounts of data to identify buying patterns, improve customer satisfaction, predict future trends, select promotional strategies, and increase revenue.”(Corrigan, Craciun, Powell 159). Along with other stores, Target has created a

On the pro side of the debate we find a lot of the most powerful tech companies and research firms up against regulatory agencies and civil rights advocates. Proponents argue that aggregate data collection is harmless, makes our live easier, and is not invasive. Critics argue that the aggregate collection and manipulation of personal data for corporate use is akin to the big brother analogies and use terms like “psychological warfare.” Proponents argue it is the ‘currency of the digital economy.’ The ‘digital economy’ referred to is already highly privatized, with the news media, tech companies, US Federal Government, and increasingly politicians themselves are among many players that benefit from aggregate data collection.

According to the journalist Arthur Baxter “Technology has brought great advances and conveniences, but it also comes with the cost of privacy” (TNW News). We have seen many examples about governments spying on people or spying on other countries. Perhaps the most important and the easiest way that enables governments to spy is by using people’s information on social media, bank accounts, by satellite surveillance, and help from some companies. This, however, is a stain on all governments that pursue this approach, and to all companies that help the governments spying on people.

Today, it seems as if everyone is connected through his or her own cell phone. With this they create data and information, intentionally or not using them. This information can be collected from applications, text messaging, and simple just walking around with a cell phone connected. This data may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and other association relating to human behavior. The creation and use of this data is what today’s society puts under the large umbrella of big data. This paper discusses the ethics of collection practices and use of big data.

Personal data is quickly becoming a commodity in today's high technology world. This information is used by banks, investment and brokerage companies, credit card merchants, government agencies (local, state and federal), and consumer product-based companies. Most people probably don't realize the amount of information that's shared between companies, or how often it's done. Many companies sell and share customer data to help sell products and find out what new products they should produce. Other uses include gathering information about inventory levels to help better determine what types of products are bought at which store, when and how often. This can be used for inventory and production, to make sure that the store (or

17). Overall, companies have been made to market to a broad area of shoppers, but since the institution of online directed advertising, companies are now able to better target the cultures that are more likely to consume more of their products and services. Fittingly retaining personal data collection approaches allows these corporations to improve consumer’s lives by enlarging the range of sought-after products and then providing services with more varied interests (Deighton & Quelch, 2009). The internet has generated a larger and more varied assortment of products and services. Unluckily for some businesses, the products and services that they offer are hardly ever revealed by their target audiences due to the large number of options they are now given. Online-targeted marketing allows these small businesses to actually reach their objective market and provide consumers with products and services that they would not have known of. This process, in which companies seek out and then purchase specific data to use it to market their product to their target market, is called data mining. Data mining allows personal information to be obtainable more effectively by consumers (Beckett, 2014, p. 35). Individuals benefit